


Prodigium

by Aros_Sage



Category: The Mummy (2017), The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Mummy Fusion, Alternate Universe - The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Fusion, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani Needs a Hug, M/M, MCD because of TOG but they don't stay dead, Malik is Joe, Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Needs a Hug, Some elements from the TOG movie are present, The Mummy 2017 AU, The Old Guard AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 43,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29707842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aros_Sage/pseuds/Aros_Sage
Summary: Malik, an archeology and history major, has gotten a job as security for a secret society known as Prodigium. He was hand selected after discovering a tomb from a dig that was only a myth. He also happened to know how to get to it safely. With his vast knowledge of history and interest in what he comes to learn as the supernatural of the world (of which Prodigium searches for and protects the world from), he is quickly promoted to higher levels in the company. His latest promotion is to monitor that of their most prized, most valuable asset; a man who does not age and cannot die. An immortal, they call him. As Malik spends more time near the man, why does he get the strangest feeling this isn't the first time he's seen this man?
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 35
Kudos: 80
Collections: The Old Guard Big Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos to the TOG Big Bang peeps for organizing this event! 
> 
> Big thank you to @Echele78, my wonderful beta! Thank you for always giving me an ear to talk out my ideas and helping push my motivation.
> 
> Huge thanks to my AMAZING artist, Alby! I was so so freaking excited to see my words come to life in your art. Please go check out her work on tumblr @artgroves. 
> 
> I've had one Hell of a writer's block, muse sink, but I'm so grateful for those who pushed me along to finish. You know who you are :) 
> 
> Enjoy.

2014\. 

The man crouched down as he made his way carefully through the small opening he and his team managed to create in the rock wall. If his research was accurate, and he was very certain of that, this would lead them to a previously undiscovered castle dating back to at least the early 1500s. 

When Malik Nader, PHD student in Classical and Archaeological Studies at the University of Oxford, was approached by Dr. Henry Jekyll and a group of some of the top archeologists in the country for an excavation, he couldn’t believe his luck.

For as long as he could remember, he was enamoured with anything related to history. Whether it was a painting, a poem, a vase or a skeleton; he wanted to learn everything there was to know about each item. He was in his early 30s, having taken a break a few years ago from his studies to teach, delaying his diploma and now finally at the end. If he was being honest, he was a little nervous once he finally received his PHD. He knew how difficult it was to obtain a career in the very subject you studied. His neighbor, a lovely young woman, complained to him how she’d wanted to be a journalist but so far, was serving drinks at the nearby pub. 

So, being given this amazing opportunity, he crossed everything in the hopes that they would bring him on for more discoveries if he did a job well done. 

This supposed castle, however, was a true head scratcher. From the information they had gathered and sent to him to go over, it almost seemed more...fiction than truth. He knew they were not far from Bran Castle and anyone who’s read a book or watched movies...or paid any attention to pop culture, knew the story. Knew that the castle had belonged to Vlad the   
Impaler and that it had inspired the book and the myth; the vampire, Dracula. 

At first, he had worried he was being punk’d. That this group was not who they said they were and they were trying to pull a fast one on him. Malik could get a little...overly excited about anything that landed on his desk; especially if it was something that had yet to be discovered. But then Dr. Jekyll himself came to see him and thus began his serious research.

Dr. Jekyll had been searching for another castle not too far from Bran Castle. He believed that there was truth in all tales that were based even the slightest from something in history. Malik thought it was an interesting theory and didn’t entirely believe him, but he himself was an anomaly. At least, that would be the word he would use to describe himself. 

He remembered years ago when he had fallen off of his roof while trying to get a stray cat down. He was certain he’d landed on his neck. He had woken up in a daze and a little sore, but otherwise, he had been fine. There were plenty of times where he had cut himself shaving or cutting vegetables only for there not to be a mark whatsoever. He would bleed, run water over the wound, only to see that there wasn’t one. He tried to ignore it, to think that perhaps he just...healed faster than normal and moved on with his life. 

“Mr. Nader? Malik?” Malik blinked, looking into the eyes of one of the team members who had gone with him. 

“Yes? Sorry.” Malik hadn’t meant to temporarily zone out while three of the men with them confirmed that the top of this cave wasn’t going to collapse on them. He just...couldn’t believe he had been right and that he was here. 

“We are secured to continue forward.” He nodded, pulling out his flashlight.

He went first as he and the team, 6 men in total, slowly went deeper into the cave. 

“According to the letter written from Johnson of his experience here, he’d found this entrance as he was exiting the basement of the castle. He had no recollection of how he’d ended up inside in the first place, only that he was filled with dread and his instincts took over to get him out.” 

“Do you know how long this goes for?” the man behind him, Jordan, asked quietly. 

Malik shook his head. “From the letter, to him it felt endless. That is surely an exaggeration. Though, if he was in such a state of fear, it is hard to rationalize his mental state in that moment. For all we know, he had stumbled in here to escape poor weather, became ill and disoriented, and then the dark caused him to hallucinate. We could be headed to a dead end.” 

“Poor choice of words,” Jordan muttered, causing Malik to chuckle. 

They continued to walk, having to move into a single file line as the walls seemed to enclose on them. Malik wasn’t claustrophobic but there was something about knowing there was a whole lot of mountain above him and more below him to make him a little anxious. If there was a cave in, they would be screwed. 

As they continued to move, Malik began to notice a difference in the ground. It was solid, except for loose rocks and dirt that could cause someone to slip. Now, though the ground was still solid, it was even ground. He paused, causing Jordan to bump into him. He leaned down, his torch illuminating the ground and his dust covered boots. He slid his boot from one side to the other a few times, squinting to get a better look. 

“The ground is...stone?” Jordan guessed as he too looked closely. 

Mailk nodded. “Man made, certainly.” 

If he were to estimate, it was only about 100 yards further until they came to the end of this tunnel, coming instead to a stone wall. Malik placed his hand on the stone, feeling around until his finger felt the actual side of the mountain wall. 

“There’s a seam. It must be the entrance.” He moved the torch around the wall, looking for a handle, frowning when he didn’t see one. 

“It is a trap? Maybe a way for nearby villagers to trick thieves and bandits?” Jordan suggested, turning his head to tell the rest of their team to standby. 

Malik shook his head. “No no, it’s definitely a door. If there is no handle on this side... “ Careful not to burn either of them, he handed the torch to Jordan. Inhaling deeply, he went to one side of the stone wall, braced his shoulder against it and gave it a full bodied push. It didn’t move much but he felt a slight give and grinned. Jordan saw it as well, handing the man behind him the torch. He braced his hands on either side of Malik and on the count of three, they both pushed on it. 

The door caught once but then edged open, causing Malik and Jordan to stumble into the room. 

The men quietly filed into the room, which looked as though it was once a basement storage, or maybe even a cell of some kind. The walls were high and made of stone. It was circular, the width of the room likely around 25 ft. Against the far wall from the entrance was a stone, spiral staircase hugging the wall.

Jordan clapped Malik on the shoulder, chuckling as he shook his head. “You were right. I cannot believe you figured this out. How?” 

Malik smiled, also feeling giddy by the fact that his research had been right. He shrugged. “I got lucky, I guess.” 

The group carefully made their way up the steps, careful as age had weakened many of them, causing a few of the men to slip or trip after breaking part of the stone. 

When they made it to the top of the steps, it opened up into a large foyer. To the left against the wall is what looked to be a large door. Across the foyer was a hall, though it was too dark to see further in. On the right was a large double staircase, also made in stone. Looking up, a large chandelier, long since used, hung above them. 

Malik pulled out his phone, frowning but unsurprised they had no service in here. The men spread out, lighting their torches that had previously been in their packs and searching the place. 

Jordan and Malik remained paired together as they made their way up the stairs. “You know, in horror movies, it does not do well to split up,” Malik murmured.

Jordan smirked. “You believe Dracula could be real?” Malik’s first instinct was to believe the question was meant to be a joke but in his companion’s tone, he realized he was being sincere. 

Malik tried to reason with the question at hand. He knew there were things in the world that couldn’t be explained rationally. He knew that something like oxygen was real, even though you couldn’t see it. 

“I can’t rule out the possibility that maybe, he could be, but every rational part of my mind and everything I’ve ever studied would prove otherwise,” he answered him. “How could his body survive hundreds and hundreds of years? How would the skin remain? Saliva? Teeth? Not having a heart beating. There’s too many impossible variables.” 

Jordan nodded as he listened to him. They made it to the top level, surpassing a middle level in favor of starting their search higher. 

“What would you think, if I told you that those things that go bump in the night, are real?” Jordan asked.

Malik looked at him curiously, a part of him waiting for him to reveal that he was joking with him. That he was trying to mess with him but again, he looked genuinely curious. 

“I would tell you I’d need to see something to believe it, in this case.” Malik laughed lightly. “Next thing you’re going to tell me is that The Invisible Man is real and he’s been hanging out with the Loch Ness monster.” 

When Jordan didn’t respond immediately, Malik looked over, seeing the seriousness on his face. 

Malik shook his head with a laugh. “No. You’re having me on.” 

“After this, perhaps you’ll receive some of that proof and more,” Jordan told him. Malik waited for him to explain more but it seemed that he wasn’t going to. 

Malik and Jordan made their way throughout the darkened rooms; any windows that had once been the source of daylight now blocked out by dirt and debris. Malik assumed over the centuries, there likely had been multiple mudslides that covered this castle. He knew that one of the men that came with them had been measuring the distance from the entrance of the tunnel to where they were now. The man would then likely figure out the coordinates so, once they were out, they’d be able to move around the mountain to hopefully find the proper front door. 

“Wow,” he whispered as they entered what appeared to be a large bedroom. A four poster bed was pressed against the middle of the far wall to the left. There was a shelf built into the wall with what looked to be many books sitting on it. On the other side of the room was what looked to be something that once resembled a couch. Time likely had caused it to dilapidate to barely anything. Across from the couch, a fireplace. Malik walked towards the bookcase. Though he had a torch in his hand, he didn’t want to take a chance on catching anything on fire. Pulling out his phone, Malik turned on his flashlight. He scanned the bindings of the books, looking in awe as he recognized some of the names. 

“What are they?” Jordan asked from near the fireplace. 

“The Rihla….Divina Commedia...books from Descartes, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton. It’s very eclectic though, none seem to be written within the last...100 years at least. Most of these are in Latin,” Malik told him as he looked over them in awe. “These are priceless.” He would admit he was a bit of a nerd when it came to early additions of literature. 

“Do you read Latin?” Jordan asked curiously.

Malik nodded even though he knew Jordan wasn’t looking at him. “I’ve always been able to pick up languages easily. It’s a hobby.”

Malik walked towards the bed at the same time Jordan did. “You know what’s strange?” Malik glanced towards him, waiting for the answer. “There’s very little dust in here.”

Looking around, Malik realized he was right. Surely a room like this should be covered in dust. This place was fairly closed off from the world, but surely there were cracks somewhere to let in small animals and spiders. 

“Strange.” 

“Let’s have the rest of the team secure the building. We’ll go back to basecamp, let Dr. Jekyll know, then create a plan to start the full excavation. We’ll need to secure anything worth saving inside and then we’ll work on getting the real door open from the outside,” Jordan explained to him. Malik wanted to protest, he badly wanted to explore himself but he had been brought in to assist. He knew he didn’t have any weight to pull to be able to stay. 

“Okay.” He agreed as the two made their way out.

\-----

Dr. Jekyll had been beyond elated that Malik’s research had been correct. A few days after finding the castle, he had flown Malik back to London. Malik had been disappointed that he wouldn’t be staying on-site, specifically wanting to carefully preserve the books he’d found, but did as he was told. He was asked to meet Dr.Jekyll at the Natural History Museum in London at half past 10 on that Monday. 

“Mr. Nader,” a voice called from the side before Malik could enter the building. Secretly, he was relieved to see the man coming towards him, as he’d been given no direction on exactly where to find him.

Holding his hand out, Malik shook Dr. Jekyll’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Doctor.”

“Likewise,” the Doctor said. “And please, call me Henry.”

Malik nodded as he followed Henry inside of the museum, waving a badge at the security who let them in. He wondered briefly if they were going to go to an office of some sort. He didn’t think a man like Henry would have an office in a museum but it also wouldn’t quite surprise him either. 

Malik had been here many, many times and was familiar with every step they took. A part of him was tempted to take a leisurely walk around once his meeting was finished. He felt a calmness settle over him whenever he was inside places filled with history. 

Indeed it seemed, they were heading into an office on an upper floor on the far East side of the museum after being let through to an area meant for employees only. Malik bit his lip to hide his excitement as he glanced along the walls, seeing pieces of art that, for whatever reason, weren’t privy to the public. 

Henry brought him into his office, ushering to the seats for Malik to claim one. Henry, after speaking quietly with a young woman who was likely an assistant, took his head at his desk. 

“First and foremost, I wanted to congratulate you on the find. I’ve had experts combing over the research for nearly two years and not one of them, specialists in their fields, could pinpoint the location of the tunnel. It’s amazing.” Henry smiled, glancing down at a file he had open on his desk. It was mostly the findings reports that Malik and Jordan had written out, along with photos and updates on the excavation. 

“Maybe a fresh pair of eyes was all you needed,” Malik suggested humbly. 

“Some of that, and likely your history,” Henry retorted and when Malik looked at him curiously, he clarified. “Your research. You’re beyond all of students, and many teachers as it seems, in your ability to absorb and recall history. It’s as if you have an eidetic memory. There’s not many who can do what you do.” 

Malik had never considered himself one to have an eidetic memory but he supposed Henry had a point. He had so much history in his head he sometimes wondered how he did it, though he never felt the need to brag or make someone feel small because they couldn’t do what he could. 

“I’m very grateful to you for bringing me on but...I was wondering why not allow me to remain at the site? I feel that I could be useful in the preservation of the antiquities there if nothing else.” Malik hoped he didn’t sound petulant, he just wasn’t sure what other use he could be.

Henry nodded. “Normally, having someone provide such important and accurate information in a finding should be there, you’re right. You’re being credited for the find, don’t worry on that front. As you are not part of our team on an official capacity, I could not have you remain there. It is not a sleight, it is because you are not trained in every aspect. But...I would be curious to change that in time.”

Malik sat up more if it were possible. “Is this a...job interview?”

Henry laughed. “Yes, I suppose it is. I would like you to sign something. It is a Non-Disclosure Agreement. It will state that what I’m going to tell you and show you, does not leave these walls. You cannot speak of this anywhere without serious repercussions. Do you understand?” 

Malik nodded as he reached for the papers. He read them over quickly, this not being the first time he’d been presented with an NDA of some sort. Signing where it was needed, he handed the papers back. 

Henry stood up, beckoning for Malik to do the same. 

“Jordan mentioned he told you that those that go bump in the night are real, correct?”

Malik couldn’t help the startled laugh that came out of him. “Maybe not with those exact words, but he did imply that the Loch Ness Monster could actually be real.” 

Henry walked over towards a large painting that took over a portion of the wall. Turning, he looked at Malik with a mischievous look on his face. “That’s because she is.” 

With that said, and with no additional explanation to that statement, he turned back to the painting, opening up a hidden panel beside it and pressing his hand to it. A quiet beep sounded and the painting suddenly slid down. Malik watched in awe as the painting revealed what looked to be an elevator. Henry walked into it and Malik had no choice but to follow.

“Have you heard of Prodigium?” Henry asked him curiously as they slowly moved downwards. Malik had a feeling they weren’t going to the main level of the museum, or the basement for that matter. 

“Yes, though I’ve mostly heard of them as conspiracists chasing ghosts,” Malik answered him. Anyone who was seriously studying history had heard of the company in one way or another. To Malik, he considered them similar to those who were going on adventures to catch ghosts on camera. Prodigium was widely laughed at, though it’s not like they could be laughed at to their faces, no one knew who they were or where they operated. Malik was quickly realizing he was going to find out.

“I can’t confirm ghosts but the supernatural, yes. We have been traveling the globe looking for those that were once only a passing story,” Henry told him with not an ounce of teasing. 

“And these supernatural....creatures, have you caught any?” Malik asked, thinking back to when Jordan talked to him about this type of impossibility and how he couldn’t believe it without proof. 

At that moment, the elevator signaled they’d made it to their destination. 

Walking out of the elevator, they were welcomed into a long hall. There were six doors, three on either side of them, that had names of employees on them. It looked like a very normal office building. Malik mentally kicked himself for assuming this would be an evil lair. 

Why would it be evil? They’re doing good here, aren’t they? Malik mentally thought to himself. 

“Prodigium was started nearly 20 years ago now. I spent most of my younger years challenging science. I thought I could do whatever I wanted, experiment in any way I could because I was invincible,” Henry explained as they rounded a corner. 

Malik paused, taking in the drastic change of the building. On either side of him were tables with what looked to be covered bodies, causing him to involuntarily shiver. With a double take, the bodies seemed to actually be mummies in various states. There were men wearing doctor’s coats hovering over them. Crates upon crates were all along the walls. In the center of the room, there was a circular metal structure with two men in the middle attaching something in the center. Without getting closer, Malik wouldn’t know what it would be. He glanced up instead, seeing a few other men on the top of risers, testing the strength of the metal. 

“It’s going to be a cage,” Henry answered him, seeing the question in his gaze. Malik forced his eyes to look towards the Doctor.

“A cage? For what?” Looking closer, Malik now noticed the myriad of chains with shackles that were hanging off to the side. 

“A monster.” And with that, Henry kept moving and Malik followed. 

As they walked down a coordinator, Malik noticed that these doors that lined the walls were different. The doors were made of a strong metal; all of them locked with what looked to be a mixture of codes, scans and card readers. 

“What are inside of these?” Malik asked, unable to hide his curiosity. 

“In one of them is what we are confident is the Philosopher's Stone,” Henry told him. 

Malik quickly moved faster to be step in step with Henry. “The Philosopher’s Stone? As in the immortality giving stone?” 

Henry nodded. “The one and only. At least, history only dictates one in existence.” 

“How do you know it is that and not just a stone? A gem?” Malik couldn’t help the excitement that crept into his veins at the possibility that something so impossible yet so known in history could be real...and that he could be in the same building as it. 

“If this works out, I’ll be sure to introduce you to the woman who has protected it for the last one hundred and fifty years.” Henry came upon the end of the hallway, opening the last door, and entering it. 

It was another office, similar in a way to the one that was upstairs. Malik’s eyes gazed around the room, noting the bulletproof glass windows and the metal architecture. It unnerved him, how this door seemed secure as well but pushed down his paranoia. 

Henry took a seat at his desk and pressed down on his phone. “Now...I know you have many questions and in time, I will be able to answer them for you. As for why you’re here now, I’d like to indeed offer you a job.” 

Malik remained standing, unable to help himself as he glanced around the room, Henry seemingly unperturbed by his curiosity. “What job would that be?” 

“As you’ve seen in your short time so far, there are many things here that are kept under close protection. If the world were to know what was here, it could be chaos. I’m looking for someone to join my security department and I think you would be a perfect fit,” Henry told him.

Malik paused in his wandering to turn back towards the man. “With all due respect, Dr. Jekyll…” He didn’t feel that calling him Henry right now was the right way to speak with him. “I’m not looking for a security position.” 

“My people said that you’ve paid your bills by doing various security and protection details. Is that not true?” Henry held out what looked to be one of Malik’s resumes. 

He sighed, running his hands over his short hair. “I had an opportunity years ago to find a way to make extra cash and I took it. I didn’t realize I was that good with a knife, or a gun, to be honest. I know how to defend myself and people, but it’s not something I find myself passionate about.” 

Malik could feel a slight crushing sensation filling him. This was not what he had expected. 

“You love and respect history. This is an opportunity for you to work with us to protect the future while also preserving the past. You would have a schedule and I’m certain that, in time, you’d be given opportunities to go on more excavations. I am part of a parent company that is regularly hired for various digs around the world. And with your ability to find the unfindable, you’d be a valuable asset to both companies,” Henry explained to him. “Think of working security here as a stepping stone to what you want and what you’ll get to do.” 

Malik couldn’t help the small smile that began to grow on his face. “So you’re saying, do my time and then move up the ranks to what I would prefer to do?” 

Henry nodded. “Yes, something like that. There are things here that we’ve not fully unraveled and there’s a good chance I can get you to research and examine some of those. Carefully of course, as we believe there are dangerous things here.” 

Malik finally took a seat across from Henry. “So there’s no Dracula here.” He chuckled though it died as he saw the seriousness on Henry’s face.

“No, not yet. The castle you uncovered will give us a clue. As you and Jordan described in your notes...there was barely any dust. Someone’s been there recently. It is only a matter of time until we find a clue to his or her whereabouts.” Henry explained. “You will come to find, there are creatures here and they are dangerous.” 

Malik nodded. “Then why not kill them, if they are dangerous?” 

Henry nodded along with him, agreeing with his conclusion. “There are some that are worth examining and learning from. We have the ability to contain them. For some, it is possible they are the only one of their species and we want to preserve. It would not do to make them become extinct.” Henry sighed. “And some, simply cannot die.” 

Malik wasn’t sure what to make of that as they fell into silence. 

After a few minutes, Henry clapped his hands together and stood up. “I will send you home with your contract and you will read it over. If you want to take the job, then please deliver them in three days. If not, you must destroy the paperwork. Do you understand?”

Malik stood up as well. “Understood. Thank you for the opportunity.” 

The men shook hands and with that, Malik departed.


	2. Chapter 2

It took Malik a few weeks to get the true lay of the land of Prodigium. He had to go through a rigorous training, which was mostly made up of learning what items he would be protecting on the floor he had been assigned to. He had learned there were three floors that were part of this company, unknown to the rest of the world hiding just underneath the museum. It was a bit unnerving, if he had to admit it to himself. How many other secret society businesses had underground operations? He shuddered to think so he chose to ignore it instead. 

The floor he was assigned to held the cage,for which he was given more information. Turns out, they were looking for Imhotep. Malik was familiar with the name. Imhotep had been a chancellor and a high priest. He was also the lover of the Princess, Anck-su-namun, who he had tried to resurrect. As punishment for such a sacrilegious act, he had been mummified and buried alive. He felt sympathy for the man who had once been: no one deserved to die in that way, especially if it was in a blinded act of love. Before Malik met these people, he would have assumed that resurrection wasn’t possible, but perhaps he was wrong. It was something he was going to be looking into, on top of how to keep a possibly resurrected mummy from escaping once he was caught. Thus far, there was no word whether Imhotep had resurrected or not. He supposed he would handle that if and when the day came.

The floor was the same one that held the Philosopher’s Stone. He wanted to see it but he understood that there was a certain level of temptation that could come with it. Instead, he settled on reading the paperwork and looking at the photographs that Prodigium had to offer. 

The room beside the stone held The Necklace of Harmonia. For this room, there was a smaller window on the top of the door Malik was able to open. Glancing inside, he could see the necklace upon a pedestal, as it might be if it were behind glass in a museum. He wasn’t close enough, but he could just make out the golden snake-like bodies that made up the necklace, their mouths together clasping it shut. The lighting was dim, though he was able to make out what were likely some diamonds, rubies and emeralds encrusted in it. It was beautiful. It looked exactly as it had been depicted but seeing it in the flesh was fascinating. 

In the next room, again Malik was able to glance inside. This room held the dagger, Carnwennan, which had belonged to King Arthur. It was said to hide the user in shadow. When Malik went over the research on this particular item, it only said that the theory had been accurately tested. It also warned that it left an exhausting aftereffect. The first person who had tried it hadn’t returned, which was warning enough not to even think about it. 

Down another corridor, Malik discovered the Shiva Dhanush, or Pinaka, the bow of Shiva. These arrows could not be stopped so they never missed their mark. It was beautiful and exquisite and smaller than he had assumed it would be. At least, the legend had said it was much bigger. Nevertheless, it exuded strength. 

Malik found out, however, that there was something here much stronger than a bow or a gem. 

His second week in, Henry had asked him to make contingency plans if anything were to escape. He had explained that all of the rooms were sealed with bulletproof glass and metal doors with locking mechanisms. 

When Malik had questioned him about who, exactly, they were to make sure remained inside, Henry gave him a rueful smile. 

Doctor Henry Jekyll then explained to him that there was someone here called Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde was bigger and stronger than any normal man. He did not like being locked away and resented everyone that was here. If he were to be let out, he would destroy the entire building and likely cause an unknown amount of destruction. 

“Where is Mr. Hyde?” Malik asked, not looking up from his notebook where he was writing down his notes from their conversation.

“He’s in this room.” At that simple statement, Malik looked up and then around the room quickly. Seeing that it was only the two of them, he frowned. 

“He’s…” Malik let the sentence fall. 

“In this room, right now,” Henry repeated as he reached into his desk. He pulled out what looked to be a syringe of some kind, though it was large, with four needles. It almost looked like it was a part that belonged in a car. “If I do not take this once every 8 hours, he will come out.” 

Malik’s eyes moved from the syringe to Henry’s face and back. “I’m not sure I’m following.” 

“I told you when you first arrived, I thought I was invincible. It is not uncommon knowledge that there is good and evil inside all of us. I thought that, with science, I would be able to remove evil completely.” Henry sighed deeply. “I was denied willing human participants in my study, so I experimented on myself. I isolated evil, yes, but at a terrible cost.”

Malik frowned. “What happened?” 

“I woke up days later, strapped to a gurney, told I’d gone on a rampage. I had hurt many people and had caused a considerable amount of property damage. Doctor Bridgers, my mentor, was able to sedate me and came up with a serum that would stop him from ever coming out.” Henry’s eyes bore into Malik’s, wanting him to realize the seriousness of all of it.

“So...you’re like Two Face?” Malik surmised, trying to put something familiar into the situation to better understand it. 

Henry chuckled humorlessly. “Something like that, yes. When Mr. Hyde is out, I am not conscious or aware of what is happening. I can feel him though, in here,” he tapped his right temple. “I don’t know what he is thinking but I can feel his frustration. He wants out but we can’t let that happen. If he ever manages a way out, you will follow a procedure to lock him in.” 

“Anyone else I should worry about?” Malik asked, trying to take the conversation off of Henry since he looked uncomfortable to admitting that he himself was potentially dangerous. 

“Nothing on this floor in our care is living,” Henry answered him. 

Malik waited for him to elaborate but as the silence continued, he didn’t press further.

He had been curious about the lower levels but had been told by Henry not to trouble himself over them. There was much to learn here and that in time, Malik would come to know all aspects of the building. He didn’t like being kept in the dark about aspects of the building but he was willing to trust the man. 

Apart from patrolling the halls at the top of every hour, Malik had been granted a desk with an optimal view of the elevator so he would be able to study while he was working. Most of his studies included reading and working on his latest paper on Theories of the True Age of the Great Sphinx of Giza. 

This also gave him the opportunity to go over the research Henry had sent him regarding a missing Rodin sculpture. It had been tracked and confirmed to have existed but sometime in 1909, it had gone missing. He had had a methodical way of keeping track of all of his creations, but this one, ‘La Benediction d’Ann’, had not been recovered or found. In all of the notes kept about his giftees, there was unusually nothing to go by but her first name, Ann. Malik figured he could have met a woman once, and through whatever their camaraderie had been, he’d wanted to gift her with one of his sculptures. It just didn’t seem so likely, as the rest of the list gave last names and locations too. 

He could almost imagine what this Rodin looked like. Two feet in height, bronze. Not just any statue, but of a woman. And not just any woman, but a replica of the woman it was gifted to. The upper body twisted in such a way as if the muse were bending over slightly. 

Malik blinked out of his zoning out, wondering how on earth his mind could come up with such a vivid memory of something that had never been found. He had to chalk it up to him being an artist himself. He didn’t have any drive to do it professionally, but he enjoyed painting, drawing and sculpting in his spare time. He had also seen many many Rodins in his life and he was likely putting one that he’d seen before into this mind's eye for something to look for. 

“What would Henry want with someone like you?” Malik whispered to himself as he stared at the notes. Was this Rodin cursed in some way? He wouldn’t be surprised at this point and made a mental note to ask next time he met with the Doctor. 

\---

2019 

Today was August 6th, 2019, marking the 16th anniversary of the date that Nicholas Smith had fully gone off the grid. As Sebastien Le Livre sat in his hotel room in Marrakech, he went over his report notes of his last failed attempt to track his lost brother. He had gone to Germany where there was the story from a boy about a man who died and got back up again that he’d seen. While he chased down this piece, his sister and leader, Andromache, went to Hungary on another potential lead of a historian who hadn’t aged a day in at least 10 years. 

Sebastien and Andromache had agreed that no matter what, on this date and one other, they would reconvene to be together. He liked this safehouse of theirs, knowing that it still belonged to Joseph Jones, his other missing brother. 

Although he was just over 200 years old, he couldn’t help but wonder if this immortality was the curse he feared it was when it had first happened. His first 50 years had been a time of accepting his fate and the anguish of watching his family die and being unable to follow. Although he had told his new immortal family he wanted nothing to do with them, they had remained nearby. He had been grateful to them then and had later apologized for his lashing out. Andromache just rolled her eyes while Joseph and Nicholas had given him knowing smiles. This life they were suddenly thrust into wasn’t easy, but at least they had each other. 

They had told Sebastien about their sister, Quynh, and how they’d lost her to the ocean after he’d dreamt of her. The pain of that loss was a ghost that always followed the three. Sebastien had given them renewed hope and more guilt that she was still alive and still suffering. After some time, he stopped telling them about his dreams, not wanting them to suffer with him. That had been a period of time where they’d spent nearly 10 years trying to find her once more only for that endeavor to end with them drowning more times than they’d like to remember, with no luck. 

And then their lives weren’t so bad for the next 120 years. They traveled the world together, doing what they could in places where the people needed help. Nicholas had said that they were meant to do good in the world. Joseph agreed, though Sebastien was certain he’d agree to anything that Nicholas said. Andromache seemed to want to agree as well, and she led the charge; often finding them the jobs to take, but there was an exhaustion behind her eyes. She was the one he tended to orbit when he was feeling especially depressed and she would join him in drinking their sorrows away. Sebastien was given a crash course in Italian and Arabic, if only to do his best to follow the conversations the other three would inevitably fall into. He didn’t mind; they had been together for nearly 1000 years after all.

It had been in 1980 when it had begun to fall apart. Joseph had gone to the island of Samos to look into tension between Greece and Turkey. It didn’t seem like either side was actively instigating the other, but he had had a soft spot for the people there that he and Nicholas had helped protect during World War II. Andromache and Nicholas were witnessing the opening of the border between Gibraltar and Spain, only to make sure it was peaceful. Sebastien had been asked by both sides if he wanted to go to one country or the other but had declined, instead going back to France for the first time since his children died. He didn’t think any of them needed him and that it would be as good a time as any to go. 

In 1980, it wasn’t very easy to keep a low profile and keep in contact with one another. Joseph had left first and once he’d found a place to stay, would then call and give the others his number. This was repeated as Andromache and Nicholas left. Once Sebastien had their number, he then took his own leave. When he arrived in the flat he’d be renting out and rang up Joseph, he hadn’t answered. Sebastien left him a coded message and then contacted the others. Nicholas had answered the phone immediately, asking for Joseph. Sebastien pretended not to hear the disappointment in his voice. Nicholas had asked Sebastien if he’d heard from Joseph but he explained he’d been traveling so he hadn’t. 

A week later, none of them had yet to hear from him. They decided on a safe house near where Joseph would have been and met a few days later. They spent months there, combing over every surface of the island but had been unable to find Joseph. It broke Sebastien’s heart watching Nicholas crumble in front of them. The man was stoic and good at tempering his emotions but this wasn’t something he could easily hide. He could see the anxiety and sadness in his eyes.

Since Joseph’s disappearance, Nicholas had lost some of his light. He was still a caring, loving brother but he moved untethered. He would still go on jobs with them but as soon as they were done, he would head back to Samos in the hopes of discovering a new clue. 

It went on this way for 13 years. Nicholas would meet with them whenever they would ask. He never put up a fight but he was quick to head back out on his search. He had covered nearly every continent, hoping for some sort of clue. Every now and then, they’d see a headline online about someone doing something extraordinary and he’d book the next flight out. Often enough, Andromache or Sebastien would accompany him but there were times when a job would pull them away. 

July of 1993 had been the last time he’d heard from Nicholas. Whenever they were away from one another, they continued their check ins but he’d missed it. Andromache and Sebastien hadn’t questioned it and headed to England immediately, only to be hit by the crushing devastation of losing him too. 

Sebastien and Andromache’s dark cloud over their heads only grew with the loss of the two. The world had become ugly and senseless and not worth saving after that. Once they gave up their immediate search for Nicholas, they’d taken a long break from any jobs. It was only here and there they were willing to take them anymore. 

The world wasn’t getting better and hiding in plain sight was becoming more and more difficult for the two of them. You couldn’t walk down a street without the likelihood that there was a camera pointing directly at you. Sebastien had followed the growth of technology since the first computer and had taken it upon himself to learn everything that he could. He didn’t have the years behind him to feel useful to his family but this was something he could do. He could do his best to keep them from being discovered. His ability to rework a laptop to tell them whenever anything online came out about strange men coming back to life or immortality was useful. Nicholas would have loved it, though Sebastien was sort of glad he wasn’t here for the pain that came with another dead end to cross off. 

Sebastien didn’t bother looking behind him as the door to the hotel room opened up, knowing by the sound of her entrance that it was Andromache. He finished typing an email he was sending to an ex-CIA agent who reached out to him about a possible job. The man, James Copley, had brought them in for a job years ago and had since retired but was freelance. Sebastien apologized, informing him that they would be unable to make the arrangements soon enough. Truthfully, they never worked for the same person more than once. It was safer this way. There was no telling whether they had slipped up and the person was now suspicious of them. It made it difficult sometimes, saying no, but they had to stand their ground. The only reason Copley had been able to email him at all was by pure happenstance they’d run into one another a few months ago at a bar. Sebastien had drank himself into a stupor and apparently wanted to befriend this man. When he thought back on it soberly, he figured he felt a kinship with the man, knowing what it was like to lose your wife. 

“Booker.” Andromache greeted him as she rounded the table he was sitting at so she could place her duffel beside the couch. 

Standing up, Sebastien who preferred his family’s nickname of Booker, smiled and met her halfway, giving her a hug.

“Andy...it’s good to see you,” he sighed into her hair. 

Pulling back, she studied his face. “You too. How long has it been?” 

Booker moved towards the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of wine he’d had waiting for her to arrive, pouring them each a glass. “Almost a year.” 

He handed her her glass of wine and they both went towards the living room, Andy taking a seat on the couch while Booker sat in a chair. 

“How have you been?” he asked her curiously. 

It was a strange thing, not aging. They could go through literal Hell and upon glancing at one another, they’d never know. The only tell of their long lives were their eyes. The eyes truly being the windows to the soul. Andy’s looked tired, though that also hadn’t changed since he’d met her. 

“Good. It was nice to get away for a little while.” She took a sip of the wine as she leaned back into the couch. “What were you doing while I was gone?” 

Booker just shrugged. “Mostly traveled around checking on our places.” He felt a certain kind of catharsis being back inside their various safe houses scattered across Europe. He was able to take care of them, clean them up and stock them with enough non-perishables. He tried to convince himself he did it in the event he and Andy needed to go somewhere at any given moment but knew that wasn’t quite true. He hoped if Joseph or Nicholas had managed to get to one, they’d be able to take care of themselves. Booker could tell by the look on Andy’s face, she hoped the same. 

“You know, there are times that I pretend they’re together. That they planned this whole thing so they could seclude themselves somewhere, just them, for the rest of their lives. Not a care in the world except each other.” Andy admitted with a sigh.

“It’s a nice fantasy but they’re too loyal to do something like that,” Booker said with a small smile. 

“Nothing has come up? Any new leads?” Andy asked curiously.

Booker shook his head. “Nothing that gave me any indication that it could truly be them.”

“I hope they’re at least reasonably okay. Not like…” Andy swallowed as she looked away. She hadn’t said her name since they’d explained Quynh to Booker that first time. 

Booker stood up only so he could sit next to Andy on the couch. Neither of them were particularly the best at comforting the other, but sometimes just having the physical closeness of another was enough. Andy smiled at him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“They’re still young...they have time. I have faith we’ll be together again, I just wish it would be sooner than later,” Andy admitted.

“Me too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter to show Alby's work! I hope you love it as much as I do!

2019

It had taken Malik three more years before he graduated officially and began work full time. It hadn’t taken him long to begin assisting various excavations. His job on those sites changed depending on needs. Most of the time, he was primarily working the perimeter and making sure their sites were safe and secure. The more exciting times were the ones where he was the one carefully brushing dirt and debris off of bones or working open a door leading to unexplored territory. 

In November of 2018, he had found where the Rodin had been. Henry and many historians had been beyond curious how he had come up with the location. Malik had to admit he wasn’t too sure himself. He had been going over and over different potential areas on his laptop when it came to him. He didn’t know why but he knew it was in Val D’Argent in France. He had been able to lead the search which brought his team to an abandoned mine. At the opening, it looked as though it was nothing but a place a vagabond or a homeless person may have lived in for some time. Upon further inspection, however, it was determined that there wasn’t just some trash here. Further back they had discovered not only the Rodin, but paintings, weapons, jewels, and money in different currencies from various years over the last 500 years. It was an amazing find! The only possible explanation being a thief who had stored their findings in here. Malik had stared at the Rodin for what felt like hours in shock. It was exactly what his mind’s eye had made it to be. 

Shortly after the Rodin find, Prodigium Headquarters had been updated about the search for Imhotep. There had finally been a break in the search for him but something had gone wrong at the site. There had been what seemed to be an earthquake while they were removing the Sarcophagus and most of the team was injured, with three deaths including the Head of Security of the company. 

Malik had asked if they wanted to send him to help but instead, Henry had promoted him to be the new Head of Security. Malik felt a little guilty, knowing there were more men who’d been here longer but Henry had insisted. Back in 2016, Malik had reacted quickly to stop Mr. Hyde from escaping. The syringe that Henry used had had a mechanical failure resulting in Mr. Hyde escaping. Malik had just happened to be outside of the office when he’d noticed the change and managed to lock him in the office before he could get out and likely kill everyone there. 

Now, as Malik headed through the museum, he nodded and greeted the staff who recognized him. He often spent his time in the museum for a few minutes after his shifts and had gotten to know everyone there. 

Out of the elevator and into the main room, he took a left, heading towards a room that had become his new office. He had gone over the previous Heads’ security measures and proceedings, getting himself familiarized with every facet of the job. He had easily taken on scheduling with no problem. He spent most of his time going over the blueprints of Prodigium, finally seeing more than this floor, if only on paper. Malik had scheduled with Henry to head to the lower floors in a few days to get himself acquainted with them in an effort to create contingency plans if anything were to ever go wrong; namely anyone getting in, or out, that wasn’t supposed to. He knew that the second floor held most of their equipment and experiential rooms. The lowest level was reserved for the objects that were most protected, at least that’s what he had been told. He had looked to see the files for the floor but hadn’t seen anything, only a floor plan that looked to have two large rooms. 

A knock at the door had Malik glancing up to see who needed him. Thierry, he was pretty sure, was his name. He frowned as he saw the gray coloring on the man’s face. “Is everything alright?” 

Thierry opened his mouth but closed it abruptly, instead running into the room, grabbing Malik’s trash bin and puking into it. Malik made a disgusted face as he did his best to remain in the room until the other man was done. When he was done, Malik leaned over his desk to look at the man. “Why don’t you head home. I’ll find someone to cover you for tomorrow.” All the man could do was nod and make his way carefully out of the room, trash bin blessedly in hand. This man usually patrolled the lowest level floor and Malik knew there wasn’t anyone else available right away to cover him. 

Leaving his office, Malik made his way to the staircase, jogging down the stairs. He figured he may as well cover for Thierry, especially given his day wasn’t very busy today. At the door to the stairwell he was stopped by a guard. The man nodded him through after he showed his badge, resuming their stoic presence. 

He passed by the elevator on the left and a door to the right. Pausing, he opened the door as he didn’t see a sign on it to tell him what it was. Poking his head in, it was what looked to be something of a pantry. The room was lined with various jars and cans. Bags of rice. A water tank against the wall, though what it was for, he was unsure. Closing the door, he continued down the hall. 

There was a low light coming from the end of the hall, though it was obviously artificial. As he got closer, the wall changed from the metal to the bulletproof glass, running the remaining length of the hall. Malik paused in awe as he looked through the glass. On the other side, was what appeared to be what he could only describe as an apartment. 

In the center of the room, against the wall, was a twin sized bed. It had two pillows, sheets and a thin blanket, all white. Facing the bed, to the left of the bed was a small couch and coffee table along with a television that was mounted to the wall. Perpendicular to the couch was a bookshelf built into the wall that was filled with books. On the right side of the bed, there was a treadmill in the corner. Against the far wall, was a refrigerator, a sink and a gas oven. In the corner closest to the glass wall, was a toilet and a standup shower, enclosed with glass. 

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, he realized there was someone on the couch, he just hadn’t seen them from the angle where he was ogling the room. He froze, part of him wanting to step away but a more curious part of him wanting to see what monster was occupying the room. If what Henry had said was true and he really was some sort of monster, it didn’t come as a shock that when this creature stood up, it was a man. 

His back was turned to Malik as he seemed to adjust something on the couch. He had a book in one hand and a glass of what he assumed to be water in the other. He was tall, possibly the same height as Malik’s own 6ft, maybe an inch or two shorter. He had shoulder length brown hair that had a slight curl where it reached the back of his neck. He was wearing a white sweater along with white lounge pants. Malik tracked him as he placed his book on the shelf. The man then turned around, startling, eyes staring through the glass directly at Malik. He then resumed his movements as he made his way towards the kitchen. 

Not meaning to, Malik took a step closer to the glass as he watched the man fill his glass with more water. He turned around as though to make his way towards the bed but paused, glancing back towards Malik, a questioning look on his face. Malik wondered, in embarrassment, if he was the only guard to ever stare at him as if he were an animal at the zoo. Surely anyone that was new here was curious their first time.

The man came closer to the glass, his face becoming unreadable. Malik remained where he was, even though he had unconsciously wanted to take a step back. Even in the dim lighting, Malik could make out the piercing light colored eyes. As dim as the lights were, he wasn’t sure if he could settle on his eyes being blue or green or so light, they could be grey. He had an aquiline nose, one that the early artists and sculptors would have loved to capture in their work. His facial hair looked as though it was nearing time for a proper shave, though the hair didn’t completely cover the beauty mark that was just above his jaw.

He was stunning. Malik could feel the warmth on his face at the thought. Shit. 

The man squinted this time as he stepped completely up to the glass. Malik held his ground for a few moments until he noticed the man’s eyes grow fractionally.

Feeling unnerved, Malik awkwardly nodded at him before doing his best not to sprint down the hall and away from him. 

Coming closer to the guard near the door, he saw the smirk on his face. 

“Something funny?” Malik asked.

The guard quickly schooled his face. “No..no Sir, not at all.”

At Malik’s stare, the man dropped his gaze before forcing himself to look at him again. “He makes everyone uncomfortable. The guards are on a rotation with him because no one can handle being down here with him for too long.”

Malik frowned. “He seems to be well secured. I’m not sure what the problem could be.” 

“Don’t let his appearance fool you. He’s dangerous. Did Dr. Jekyll not give you the report on him?” the man, Johnson something, Malik tried to remember, asked. 

He shook his head. “No, didn’t have the time to.” He turned to look behind him, no longer seeing the man near the glass. “What is he? A genie? A werewolf?” 

The man, realizing that Malik wasn’t angry with him, smirked again. “Neither of those, but he’s a killer. He killed 15 before they were able to incapacitate him.”

“Why was Prodigium after him?” As far as Malik knew, they didn’t capture killers. 

“He’s immortal.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Commenting on a Jewish cemetery that was defaced in 1993.

A few days had passed since Malik had been in the lowest level and had discovered the man. He had tried to go about his days but whenever he had a lull in his job, or even more often when he was home, his mind drifted back to him. He couldn’t help it. The man’s face gave nothing away in regards to emotion but for whatever reason, Malik could see sadness, surprise and what might have been relief in them. He couldn’t explain it and tried to ignore it, but it was impossible. 

He had asked for the files on the immortal man but Henry had wanted to speak to him about him instead. When Henry’s assistant, Susie, came to collect him, he did his best not to fast walk to the meeting. He needed to remain calm and push down on his burning curiosity. 

Malik thanked Susie as he entered Henry’s office. “Thank you.” He closed the door behind himself as he made his way towards Henry, taking a seat across from the man.

“I apologize for the meeting, but this is a file that doesn’t leave this room,” Henry explained to him as he held out a folder towards Malik to grab.

“The Immortal, I understand your curiosity is because you have seen him,” he stated. Malik opened his mouth to explain himself but Henry waved his arm. “It is no trouble. I read the report that Thierry had a nasty bout of food poisoning. I just apologize I did not take you there sooner.” 

“He really can’t die?” Malik asked as he opened up the file and began to read. 

“It was around this time in ‘93 when we found him. We got wind of a man who’d been seemingly killed during a fight. Do you remember the story about the defacement of around 150 Jewish grave stones?” When Malik nodded, he continued. “Apparently, the Immortal didn’t approve of that. He got into a fight with the men who were defacing the graves and one of them slit his throat. One of the dirtbags who had participated in this had escaped the fight. He met up with a friend at a pub and began telling him about watching this crazed maniac getting back up as if he hadn’t just been knifed in the throat. The friend had been one of our security members then. He reported what he had heard and we thought it was important to investigate.”

“How often do you believe the word of someone who’s word would mean very little considering the type of activity he participated in?” Malik asked, curious and not accusatory. 

“Don’t worry, we sent an anonymous tip about the dirtbag. He was arrested for what he’d done,” Henry assured him. “We’ve been doing this for a long time. There are instances where you know when to believe someone’s word and this was one of them. So, we did find the Immortal and we were able to confirm the other man’s suspicions.”

Malik’s eyes grew. “Did you...attempt to kill him to prove he couldn’t die?” 

Henry looked sheepish. “No, not at first. We set him up to acquire an injury and confirmed that he did heal from it. When we went in to extract him, he put up one hell of a fight. He killed 15 Prodigium men before he was immobilized.” At the shocked look on Malik’s face, he continued. “We had tranquilized him to subdue him but one, two, three darts didn’t work. We shot him with seven before he finally went down. There was enough tranquilizer in there to take down a full grown elephant. When we were able to cuff him, our medic on site determined that his heart had indeed stopped which was unfortunate. Before they had decided what to do with him, he gasped as if coming back to life. He was still asleep but he was alive again.”

“So he’s immortal in the sense that he can’t die and that contributes to the fact that he can heal from his wounds?” Malik asked, amazed as he read the file. It detailed early reports of an examination done on him. He felt ill as his eyes skimmed in detail, some of the more questionable tests they performed on him. 

Henry nodded. “Exactly. That’s very interesting, don’t you think?” 

Malik, feeling eyes on him, looked up. Henry had a strange look in his eye that made him uncomfortable. “Uh, yeah. It is strange.” He closed the file. “Am I going to read about him being purposefully killed here?” he asked, waving the folder. “He may be extraordinary, but that doesn’t justify torture.” 

“No it doesn’t. I’m not proud to say that there were some tests where his heart was stopped in one way or another, yes. We did not do it with him awake. He was sedated for those,” Henry admitted. “What is intriguing is his bloodwork. It’s perfectly normal. He’s O negative, universal donor.” 

Malik placed the folder on the desk for now as they continued to talk. “He’s what? Your personal blood bank?” 

Henry chuckled. “If only. Unfortunately, anything that has come out of him, eventually just...turns to dust. His organs can grow back, it’s fascinating, but those organs that were previously his do not survive without him.”

Malik opened his mouth to ask more questions but Henry raised his hand. “I know you have many questions and in time, they will be answered, I’m sure. I know it’s not easy at first. He looks like a regular man and it’s likely when you saw him he seemed incredibly mundane. He is dangerous, never let your guard down in that regard. He’s tried to escape at every opportunity that’s ever presented itself.” 

Malik nodded. “How old is he?” 

“By his account, he was born around 1840 in Naples. Nicholas Ricci. He told us that his whole family had come down with a sickness and that they all had died except...he came back shortly after. We’ve been unable to confirm any of this, but we’ve also been unable to uncover anything about him whatsoever.” Henry sighed, leaning back in his chair. 

“Sounds lonely,” Malik admitted as he too sat back in his chair. 

“Perhaps,” Henry said noncommittally. “I wanted to speak with you about adjusting your hours slightly. I would still like for you to remain in your position as our Head of Security, but I would also like for you to be on rotation to guard him during the morning shift.”

“What is it that you’d have me do?” Malik asked, ignoring the excited swoop in his stomach at the prospect.

“He could very well be over 150 years old. We want to learn more from him but he tends to be stubborn on that front. The guards who have taken the position over the years have managed to befriend him marginally. I’d like to task you with attempting to do so,” Henry explained to him.

“I imagine he has no choice if he wants to remain speaking to people,” Malik surmised. He couldn’t imagine being trapped in a room for so long. He had to remember this wasn’t a normal human being held captive; this was someone who had murdered people. Someone who couldn’t die. 

Henry looked curiously at him. “You seem awfully concerned about the wellbeing of a monster. Will this be a problem?”

Malik’s eyes grew. “What..no, of course not. I understand.” 

Henry nodded. “Good. You’ll begin tomorrow.” 

\----

Tomorrow came too quickly in Malik’s opinion. He ran his hand through his short curls as he made his way down to the lowest level, stifling a yawn. He was not a morning person by nature and being here before 7am felt like a punishment.

He entered the pantry room, going over the list of food to take, filling up a bag. The guard who had ended their shift had stayed longer to help Malik get acquainted with everything.

“Why doesn’t he attack?” Malik asked, certain if this man had tried to escape at any opportunity, he would grab a guard as a hostage or try to seriously wound someone. 

“He used to be knocked out with gas before we would enter but when technology got better, they gave him an anklet,” the guard explained to him. Malik could vaguely remember reading about it in the list he’d been given. “If you feel threatened, yell the word ‘LOCK.’ It will send a strong jolt of electricity that will stop him. It’s voice activated. Technology is amazing, is it not?” the man chuckled.

“Has he ever hurt someone?” Malik pressed. 

“The few times he managed to get through the gas, he would threaten it but when we made it clear he wasn’t getting out, he would let them go. He’s never killed even though he had the opportunity. I know it’s not anxiety relieving to hear but he just...won’t,” the guard added.

Malik just nodded as he added a few more items into the bag. Once done, he followed the man back out into the hall. The guard knocked hard on the glass. The man, Nicholas, looked up from his seat on the couch. He nodded his head, glancing back down at the book in his hand, unbothered. 

“He knows when we’re coming in, to sit on the couch. If he’s not already there, he will move. The door won’t open unless he’s sitting there. I can explain that to you when he’s not able to potentially read my lips,” the guard told him.

“He’s looking down…” Malik started. 

“Ah, yes, but he’s clever. Aren’t you?” They both watched Nicholas, stoic as ever except for a barely concealed twitch of his brow. “See. Anyway…” Malik watched as the Guard pressed on the glass, a digital panel showing itself. He pressed in the code and then placed his palm down. The glass made a soft clicking noise, revealing a door. “Did you catch that?” At Malik’s nod, he went on. “Repeat that on the other side and it will open the door.” 

Inhaling slowly, Malik walked into the room, closing the glass door behind him. He walked over towards the kitchen, placing the bag down on the counter and opening up the cabinets. 

The silence unnerved him and Malik could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He heard Nicholas shift on the couch and then the soft sound of his feet on the ground. He felt his muscles tense, expecting a fight, clearing his throat, ready to shout. 

Nicholas moved into his peripheral, resting his hip against the wall on the other side of the refrigerator. He had his arms crossed loosely over his chest. “What’s your name?” Nicholas asked, his voice thick with an Italian accent.

Malik turned his head to look at the man, his eyes moving slowly down until he could see his bare feet on the ground. 

“Are you looking for this?” Nicholas asked, pulling on his lounge pants until they revealed his ankles, his left ankle revealing the anklet. “I assure you, it works and I do not like the feeling.”

Malik’s eyes moved back up to his face, seeing the...friendly face of this man. It was strange, to see him look so accepting of this fate and want to speak with him. 

“You do not have a name?” Nicholas asked instead.

“Malik...my name’s Mailk,” he answered, feeling his face heat at the realisation he’d ignored the first question. 

“It’s nice to meet you Malik,” Nicholas said in earnest. 

“You ah, you too.” 

Nicholas continued to stare, nearly burning a hole into the side of Malik’s head as he pulled food out of the bag and began putting it away in the cabinet. He opened the refrigerator, taking stock of what was left. He would need to put out a request for the perishable food. 

“Here,” Nicholas said, startling Malik as he suddenly moved closer and held out a piece of a paper. Malik looked at him suspiciously before carefully taking the folded paper. He glanced down at it after opening it, reading the food that was listed. 

“Beyond basic ingredients, they generously let me request the food I need.” Malik could hear the sarcasm practically dripping from his voice. “Mangerei davvero volentieri un po' di baklava...” he mumbled quietly.

“Solo se è fatto in casa," Malik responded without thinking about it. His brain, however, quickly sped up to his mouth, realizing he’d just spoken to him in Italian. “How did you know I could speak Italian?” 

Nicholas stared at him for a few extra seconds before answering him. “There is only so much entertainment one can have in a place like this,” he shrugged casually. “I suppose you have spoiled it this round. I’ll do my best not to talk about you when you can understand me.” 

Malik stuffed the paper into his pocket and grabbed the bag as he started to head back towards the door. 

“You’re not going to stay.” Nicholas stated, as he made his way towards the couch.

Malik paused and turned to face him. “Do you want me to?” 

Nicholas shrugged as he turned, leaning against the back of the couch instead of taking a seat just yet. “Typically you people enjoy trying to get me to reveal something you think I’m hiding. The compliments and the pleasantries are a particularly nice touch.” He clapped his hands together as he thought of something else. “My favorite lies being the ones that promise they’ll let me go.”

Malik frowned as he listened to him. “If you believe that is why anyone remains in this room with you, why bother?”

“We’re not meant to be alone,” Nicholas answered softly. 

Malik felt his brow crease at those words, feeling a sudden wave of deja-vu overcome him. Malik looked at the glass door for a moment before making his decision. He placed the empty bag on the floor and turned once more to face him.

“What is it that you would like to discuss?” Malik asked him. 

Malik watched as the corner of his mouth turned up just slightly. 

“I assume you know enough about me but I know nothing about you. How long have you worked here?”

And this is how Malik ended up spending two hours, carefully answering Nicholas’ questions about his work here and his schooling. Malik didn’t see the harm in being honest with him. He seemed genuinely curious about his responses though he supposed he had no other choice but to be curious. 

Hearing a ping, Malik glanced at his watch to see that he had an email he needed to respond to and wouldn’t be able to in here. 

“You must leave?” Nicholas asked from his place perched on the edge of his bed; Malik having taken a seat on the couch.

Malik stood and nodded. “Yeah, it’s important. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” 

Nicholas, also standing up, aborted a move to come closer, instead heading towards the couch as Malik leaned down to pick up the bag.

Sitting down on the couch, Nicholas nodded. “I’ll be here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Mangerei davvero volentieri un po' di baklava...” - I would really gladly eat some baklava
> 
> “Solo se è fatto in casa," - Only if it's handmade 
> 
> Thanks to V for the translation help! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Nicholas switched on the television in his prison once the latest guard, Malik, left him. He kept the television primarily on the news station so he could keep track of the years and feel some semblance of knowing what was happening in the outside world. 

He stretched his arms over his head and rolled his neck over his shoulders. His eyes glanced at the cameras that were in the corners of the room. He hated them, for never in all of his years here did he want to laugh and cry and scream in delight.

Joe had found him. He was here. 

Nicky, the nickname given to him from his family and one he had not ridden himself of internally, had many questions. 

Nicky sighed as he forced himself to stare at the television. He couldn’t let anyone watching him know something had changed. Having been a sniper, he was well versed in staring at just about anything for hours, letting his internal voice take over to keep him company; it certainly came in handy with this predicament he was in.

Where had Joe been all of these years? Had he been here? Had he been a prisoner here this whole time and Nicky never knew? If so, what was going on now? Had Joe been found or found their family and now they were searching for him? Why didn’t Joe give him any signal that he had a plan? 

When he thought back to all those years ago when he had been caught, he wanted to kick himself. He had been foolish to be so reckless. Joe was out there somewhere and needed him but he’d gotten himself caught. 

He had tried many times to escape and each time, he’d been stopped. He knew he could kill the guards whose duties were to befriend him, but he felt it pointless. He could do it but it would only end with him still trapped and likely with less “freedom” than he had now. The last time he had nearly escaped after a Doctor foolishly thought he’d passed out from giving blood, he’d been confined to his bed for a month...maybe longer. He wasn’t sure how long that punishment had lasted. 

He had faith in his family and knew that, although this world was huge, someday they’d find him. 

To see that it was Joe of all people was surprising.

When he’d first seen him through the glass a couple days ago, Nicky nearly dropped his water. The urge to throw himself at the glass was so strong he’d forced himself to take a shower to do something other than pace. The idea that he would finally be rid of this confinement was exhilarating. 

If Joe was undercover, he surely had a plan. And Nicky was determined not to blow his cover. 

When he’d asked about the baklava, he hadn’t expected Joe to respond with his typical answer. Using baklava in code was an inside joke amongst them, mostly because of how much Andromache loved it. Joe’s coded response should have been that he’d get Nicky some from Turkey. It wasn’t unlike him to prefer homemade style, but that phrase wasn’t their code and Joe would know that.

Nicky had been grateful that Joe remained in the room with him but while he told him about himself, there was nothing in his words that indicated anything about a plan of escape. This long winded backstory about going to college was strange. 

Nicky knew and understood solitude. He had been here many years before Dr. Jekyll had required the guards to keep him company. Nicky knew what it was immediately. They had hope that he would tell them more about himself if he felt comfortable around them. They forgot the part where Nicky was human and was well aware that he was their prisoner. And they certainly didn’t know just how old he actually was. In the very beginning, they had hurt him to get him to talk and when they realized all they would get from him was his name, they stopped. 

He was relieved that they were not interested in torturing him for answers or for the sake of science but now, being in this room with no reason to leave, made him feel insane. 

Knowing that Joe was literally within physical reach, he let his mind wander to the rest of his family; Andy and Booker.

Were they also undercover here somewhere? Booker was likely tracking down the blueprints of the facility he was being kept in while Andy created a plan to get him out. He felt his eyes water at the prospect of seeing them again. He missed them terribly and it made him ache painfully. His heart had been shattered when he’d lost Joe and then again when he himself, went missing. Over the years, he only let his mind think about his family for small increments. It hurt too much and he didn’t want to give them away. The last thing he could ever want is for them to be locked in here too. 

Nicky understood what this company did and, over the years, he came to learn about a few items that were here which was, admittedly, impressive. He knew that they were safe away from the public but, he himself being an anomaly, something unnatural, it was hard to convince them he was safe out in the world too. He wondered for a moment, what it would be like if he was the monster they thought him to be. All of them. Would they be able to take over the world? Would they own underground organizations that controlled the world? In that instance, it made sense for him to be locked away. But...he had dedicated his long life to helping people, yet he was unwilling to give these people those examples. He couldn’t take the chance that they would learn about the others. That they would look too hard into specific jobs in history and find a pattern. They feared capture the most; knowing what it cost them. He would remain here for a thousand years if it meant sparing his family from the same fate. 

Maneuvering himself on the couch so he was lying down, his pant leg rose up, exposing the anklet. He had successfully removed every single one they had put on him at some point. He knew it annoyed them but he considered it a bit of a hobby. This one, having been attached to his ankle a few weeks ago, was much stronger than the previous ones. It was thin but strong. The cuff was tight against his ankle; not too tight to cut off circulation but tight enough that he couldn’t move it much. He figured he would need something small to be able to eventually break it apart. 

Sucking in the corner of his bottom lip to stop himself from grinning like a fool, Nicky turned his head to try and focus on the television rather than let his mind spin anymore today. 

\----

When Malik made it home that evening, he tried to focus on a painting he’d started absently a few weeks ago with little enthusiasm. He couldn’t seem to get the man, Nicholas’, gaze out of his mind. Those eyes filled with so much emotion and yet his face revealed nothing. 

Putting the paint brush down he ran his hands over his face and his hair. He’d let his curls grow out over the years so his fingers snagged on a couple. He knew this feeling inside of him, it was instant attraction. He couldn’t remember the last time he had ever felt this way about someone, which was a strange thought in and of itself considering he knew he’d felt it before but couldn’t pinpoint who it was. He had put his schooling and work in front of everything else in his life to focus on his personal one. He had had hookups and short relationships, but nothing filled with much sustenance. 

“You can’t date an immortal man, Malik,” he chastised himself. 

After retiring to his bedroom, Malik had a fitful night; unable to fully fall asleep. Every time he’d get comfortable enough to begin to drift off, those eyes would pierce through to his soul. 

Sighing, he stared at the ceiling, literally imagining little sheep running around. “1...2...3...4…”

_“Tesoro, we will never get any sleep with you moving around so much,” the man in Malik’s arms murmured, causing him to press his cold nose playfully against the warm flesh of his neck._

_The man gasped from the cold, reaching blindly behind himself until he found Malik’s arm, pulling it around his chest and holding it against it, lacing their fingers together._

_“I’m sorry Hayati, you know it’s not easy for me to fall asleep so early,” Malik mumbled his response._

_“You will be a nuisance in the morning. If I do not manage to wake you, Andy will resort to any means necessary,” the heavily accented voice warned him._

_Malik felt his body shudder at the threat. “Surely you would protect me.”_

_He felt the man shake, barely containing quiet laughter. Malik lifted his arm as the man began moving, clearly wanting to turn around to face him. He moved back up enough so the man wouldn’t roll right on top of him, not that he thought that’d be much of an issue._

_Malik sucked in a breath as he stared into the eyes of Nicholas in the dark of the room they were in._

_“What is it?” Nicholas asked quietly, his hand moving from Malik’s cheek, down his neck, shoulder, and then resting on his hip. Malik sighed at the feeling of Nicholas’ thumb rubbing absently at the soft skin there._

_“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his nose bumping Nicholas’ in such a close vicinity._

_“You flatterer,” Nicholas teased, leaning forward so he could press a chaste kiss on his lips. “But it will not work tonight. We have an early day.”_

_Malik felt himself pout, doing his best impression of faux hurt. “Maybe it will help.”_

_Nicholas just stared at him, his face serious to anyone else who would look at him but playful to Malik, who’d known this face in all its forms for centuries. He began to grin, unable to help himself as Nicholas rolled his eyes. Nicholas’ hand pinched playfully at his hip before the hand rested on his flank and then moved across his hip._

Malik gasped awake, feeling sweat all over his body, his mind fuzzy as it tried to remain in the dream and, more importantly, what Nicholas’ hand was doing. 

Furling his brow, Malik lifted the blanket off of him and looked down, letting his head drop down onto the pillow after seeing the confirmation of how much exactly, his body had enjoyed the dream. 

“Dammit Nicky…” he mumbled as he moved his hand down his body to take care of his problem. 

\----

Booker poured a cup of coffee into a mug as he heard Andy’s footsteps entering the kitchen. He placed it down where she would be sitting before turning and pouring himself a fresh cup.

“Morning,” Booker greeted her as he took a seat across from her. 

“Mmm,” Andy mumbled as she placed her hands on either side of the steaming cup. 

Booker felt nervous as the two of them sat there, unsure how to begin the conversation that he’d had prepared for a while now. 

Andy, ever the perceptive one, glanced away from her coffee and straight into Booker’s eyes. “What is it?” She loved him and she trusted him, but her voice couldn’t help the slight suspicious tone. 

“I think there might be some merit in trying to search for her again...there are…” Booker began but was cut off by Andy’s head shaking.

“It’s too dangerous. We’ve tried, Book. You remember what it was like and that’s nothing compared to what Joe, Nicky and I went through when we first tried.” Andy was haunted by the memory of them all dying many, many times in their futile attempts to find her. “We tracked down every single person that was on that ship and a few of their stories lined up to a general area. There’s no telling how much the ocean has shifted over the years and where it took her.” 

“I know but just...hear me out. Can you do that?” Andy frowned but nodded, gesturing for him to continue. “I’ve set up alerts for anything that might give us a lead on Joe and Nicky. The world is large but comparatively, we know Quynh has to be in the Atlantic, somewhere. At least it’s a somewhat narrowed area. Technology has gotten so much better in the last 20 years than it has in the last 100. Look at this.” Book pulled out his phone, typing on it for a few minutes before handing it over.

Andy took the phone in her hand, staring at the screen. She wasn’t inept when it came to technology but she also didn’t care to learn more than what she needed in the basic sense of functionality. “Research groups?” 

“Yes but specifically, these are grant funded groups that are given everything they need for deep dives. The world craves more knowledge about what is in the water and how deep they can go. I admit, I’m curious myself. There are groups that are exploring the oceanic floor to simply see what they can find that doesn’t belong. There’s submarines, ships, planes, even that shark from that movie that was thought lost forever.” Booker couldn’t help the excited tone his voice took on. 

“How would we get a grant like that?” Andy asked. 

“We don’t...we are the grant.” Andy looked at him with confusion. He shrugged casually. “It’s nothing a little hacking can’t do. We can handpick the individuals who are going on this endeavor. I can give them the specs that we have on where we think an antique iron maiden was lost. We can also monitor their work and have them report any findings. And if...once...they find her, we can meet them and see it completed.” They would have to, considering if Quynh was still somehow alive, it would be difficult to explain without killing them instead for their silence. 

“It’s risky. If they saw if she’s still alive.” Andy frowned though Booker could see the hope flickering to life in her eyes. 

“We can deal with that hand once we have to. This way...they can focus on this discovery while sparing us the pain of false leads.” Booker reached across the table, taking one of Andy’s hands from the mug and holding it securely in his. He knew without a doubt she could kill him easily if she wanted, but appreciated the moments where he felt like the stronger one here. The one who could take her pain away and hold her. “And if she is gone from this world now, at least I can give you closure.” 

Andy blinked a few times, refusing to let tears fall. She gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand. “Alright...but only if you’re sure about this. We can’t let them find out about us.” 

Booker nodded. “I’m certain. I’ll work on the grant first and once it’s ready, you’re welcome to read over it before we release it to the public to start fielding the applicants.”


	6. Chapter 6

In the weeks that followed, Malik found himself more and more comfortable in Nicholas’ presence. They never talked of anything important, not that Nicholas seemed too eager to share anything about himself. If he did, it was small tidbits, mostly about his travels. 

Malik was captivated by the details Nicholas would add to his stories of older cities. The imagery was so vivid, Malik could imagine himself standing there beside him, eating the food he mentioned or seeing the cities in various times of day and different seasons. 

He found that, despite himself, he was dropping his guard. He knew Nicholas couldn’t do anything to him, knowing that he only had to shout to subdue him, but he secretly hoped it would never get to that. He didn’t like the idea of having to cause him pain. 

Today, he had switched his morning shift for the evening shift so another guard could go out for their anniversary. 

“Malta has always been a special place to me,” Nicholas told him as they sat companionably at opposite ends of his couch. 

“Why’s that?” Malik asked curiously. 

“I fell in love there,” Nicholas sighed dreamily as he turned his head to look at Malik. He smirked, snorting softly as he chuckled. “What? You do not think someone like me could do that?” 

Malik blanched, feeling his face heat up. “No! I mean...I just assumed you wouldn’t want to.”

“Why’s that?” Nicholas asked softly, mimicking Malik.

“Well, assuming they know and were okay with your uniqueness, they would eventually die. Is love worth that pain?” Mailk couldn’t remember his mother but he remembered the pain of loss. 

“For the right person, the pain is welcome,” Nicholas told him, a sadness glazing over his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry.” Malik chided himself as he picked at his jeans with one hand.

“Don’t you? Are you not supposed to learn more about me through casual conversation?” Nicholas asked, as he glanced towards the camera in the corner and gave it a lazy wave with his fingers. Malik didn’t miss the slight teasing and equal loathing in his tone. 

Malik knew he looked guilty even though he did his best to school his features. Nicholas had a way of seeing through him that no one else he’d ever met managed. 

“I would apologize for constantly making you feel sorry for me but I’m afraid you deserve it,” Nicholas told him nonchalantly. 

Malik nodded. “You’re right,” he sighed, straightening up in his seat. “When were you in Malta with this girl you loved?”

Nicholas rose a brow briefly before letting his face relax back into a neutral look he often maintained. “Sometime in the 30s, I think. Maybe the early 40s. It is not always easy to keep track of the years. I knew I loved them for years before that but I was afraid they would not return my affection.”

“It can be frightening, the not knowing,” Malik admitted, knowing the feeling of wanting but the intense fear of rejection.

Nicholas nodded. “We had been separated by accident on the island for a few days. I was frightened something terrible had happened but then I saw them. I could tell in their eyes they had feared losing me. We were never apart, except for brief stints here and there after that.” 

“Until they died,” Malik blurted, his eyes growing as he realized what he’d said out loud.

“I believe our souls are linked for eternity. We will find our way back to one another.” The confidence in which he spoke caused Malik to feel a burst of warmth inside of himself. 

“That’s a romantic way to see it,” Malik admitted. 

The corner of Nicholas’ mouth lifted up just slightly. “It is my belief, yes, but they were always the poet.” He stood up, stretching his arms over his head. “Dinner is nearly ready. Would you like to stay for it?” 

Malik glanced towards the cameras and then the door before watching Nicholas walk across the small room. “Do the others normally dine with you?” 

Nicholas shrugged, not turning his back as he stirred the sauce that was simmering in the kitchen. “If you ask them, they can confirm so. I am told my food is better than what is served elsewhere.”

Malik inhaled deeply through his nose, not having paid too much attention to the smell of the food cooking on the other side of the room. Nicholas had attended to it periodically while they talked but had let it simmer for the last bit. His mouth watered, the different flavors and spices hitting his senses. 

“It smells delicious. It isn’t Shak…” Malik began but was cut off by Nicholas.

“Shakshouka? Yes. Do you like?” Nicholas asked him.

“It’s one of my favorite dishes, actually,” Malik admitted, his voice slightly suspicious though he didn’t think anyone here would know, and it’s not as though he told Nicholas. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” Nicholas answered him as he grabbed two plates and began serving the food onto them.

Malik moved to get up off of the couch but paused as he realized there was no dining room table. The only one being the small coffee table in front of the couch. 

Nicholas, having turned towards him with their plates, noticed him looking around. “My accommodations don’t seem to require a proper table to eat dinner at.” He handed Malik his plate before taking a seat once more on the couch. 

“Thank you.” Malik carefully balanced his plate on his knees, a hard plastic that would not be easily broken, as he carefully dug in. 

They ate quietly for a few minutes, Malik doing his best not to moan around the mouthfuls of food. 

“You mentioned before that you went to school. How long were you there?” Nicholas asked conversationally. 

“Four years for my undergrad, and then four more for my masters and PHD. I took a short break in between and so there were a few more classes and qualifications I needed to obtain before graduating,” Malik answered him, not seeing anything wrong with being honest with him. 

“And before university? Where were you? With family?” Nicholas asked.

Malik took a moment to answer as he ate another mouthful of food. “Yes, I was with family in…” His face screwed up in genuine confusion as he wracked his mind for the answer. He shook his head a little.

“Is everything alright?” Nicholas asked, his fork down as he watched Malik intently. 

Malik looked up, saw the worry on Nicholas’ face and forced a smile. “Yeah, yes, of course. I was born here. My mother died when I was young, I can’t remember her.” He knew that last bit was certain as he’d tried to imagine her face over the years. 

“Any siblings? A father?” Nicholas pressed gently.

Malik shook his head. “No. She died and I moved around a lot...with an Uncle.” His voice was unsure but he couldn’t admit to Nicholas that he was having genuine trouble remembering. 

“Hm..” Nicholas answered noncommittally as he moved his fork absently in the food.

“I wouldn’t have minded having sisters. I would probably be the baby of the family. Spoiled and obnoxious, you know,” Malik said as he finished the last bit of food, realizing how much quicker he’d devoured his food than Nicholas who still had nearly half a plate. 

Feeling his pocket buzz, Malik moved to check his phone, seeing that his alarm was going off to tell him that his shift with Nicholas was over. He hadn’t even realized the hours had gone by so quickly. He finished the last piece of food left on his plate before standing up. 

“Have a good rest of your evening, Malik,” Nicholas said to him softly as he followed the other man with his eyes. 

Malik took his plate and fork over towards the small sink, rinsed it as best he could before placing it in. 

“You too, Nicholas.” 

\-----

Booker and Andy spent the next few days aimlessly around town, looking to see what restaurants were still around and whichones had been turned into something else. Andy had been pleasantly surprised to see a small corner booth still in action. The older woman who sat there selling pomegranates and apples had been there as a little girl over 70 years ago. Andy remembered how she would run up to anyone and would convince them with her toothless 5 year old smile, to buy their fruit over the others. Now, the woman sat quietly behind the booth while two other children ran around the booth, wanting to have fun but also knowing they weren’t allowed to go far. 

Andy purchased more pomegranates than Booker thought either of them would get through before handing the woman more money than the fruit was likely worth. Booker smiled to himself as he began to walk down the sidewalk once Andy came up to him.

Andy, seeing the smile on Booker’s face, smiled herself. “If Nicky were here, he’d have 10 recipes at the top of his head that he could use these for.” 

They both could cook, but neither of them had the finesse or the patience to make anything with more than three or four ingredients most of the time. 

“And most of those would be desserts thanks to your sweet tooth,” Booker added with a chuckle. 

Andy nudged him in the shoulder with hers. “As if you didn’t reap the benefits.”

They continued around the town for a few more hours, mostly in companionable silence. Having lived for so long, there was a peacefulness in being around someone without the need to fill the quiet.

After picking up some take out from a restaurant near their hotel, they sprawled around the living room, eating and drinking to their hearts’ content. Once too full to move, Andy laid on the couch while Booker laid near her on the floor.

“It was Joseph that got us kicked out of Spain you know, not me,” Booker reminded her as they reminisced on how quickly they had left the country back in the 60s. 

“Joe claimed it was you,” Andy shot back with a snort. 

Booker would have rolled his eyes if it wasn’t for the fact that they were closed. “And Joseph is an embarrassed liar.” 

Andy rolled onto her side, glancing down towards Booker, a brow raised. “Okay, so what did happen?”

Booker smiled to himself. “As you know, we were there to protect the Princess when it was suspected there may have been a nefarious plan to abduct her from the opposition.” With his eyes still closed, he didn’t see Andy nodding in agreement. “At one point during the ball, she decided to sneak away with a visiting Prince...Nicholas trailed them. While we were waiting for them to come back, we decided to do another search of the building to see if anything suspicious was happening. Well, we made it to the second floor when Joseph didn’t meet me after checking his half. I went through his rooms and found…” Booker broke off to allow himself to laugh.

“Joseph accidentally found a secret room in a library...turns out, the King had a room meant for orgies. The King was trussed up on the bed with two women and a man while Joseph was backed into a corner by three other women. They were pulling away at his clothes while he was trying his damnedest to get away from them. He could have hurt them, if he wanted, to get away but I could tell he didn’t want to. The women were excited that an attractive man had come to the room, expecting that he was part of the play.” Booker laughed some more, reaching up to wipe at the tears in his eyes. 

He blinked open his eyes, seeing the shocked look on Andy’s face before she sputtered out a fit of giggles.

“He was trying so hard to tell them he was happily married and that his husband would not approve. It didn’t deter them.” Booker sighed. “So...I went over towards the King and removed his blindfold. Needless to say, he was not pleased that he’d been found out. He began shouting for his guards so Joseph and I had to jump out of the window.” 

“And that’s when the two of you startled the Princess and her Prince…” Andy filled in to which Booker nodded, unable to breathe as he laughed harder than he had in years. 

“Nicholas’s face was priceless and Joseph’s was beet red.” Booker and Joseph had limped away as quickly as possible while Nicholas had held his gun out, shielding the royals from the two men sprinting through the garden, chased shortly after by the guards. 

“Why did you take the fall?” Andy asked curiously.

Booker shrugged. “Joseph was so embarrassed that he’d mucked up part of our mission and it seemed more believable that it would be something I’d do. I could tell he didn’t want to tell Nicholas about the women so it became our little secret.” 

Andy snorted. “Nicky would have been amused. Book, we all make mistakes sometimes, you don’t have to take responsibility for their actions.” 

Booker shrugged. “I know. I honestly don’t really know why he didn’t correct me when I said it was my fault.” 

“I’m sure he had his reasons. He likely thought you had your own reason for taking the fall and didn’t want to mess up what was going on in your own head.” Andy yawned, moving so she was lying on her back once more. 

The two fell back into a companionable silence for a while until soft snores from both of them resounded in the room. 

\--

A black woman in army attire leans over a man shouting at her not to touch him. He’s bleeding from fatal gunshots. The woman turns away to shout orders to her fellow comrade. 

White, burning hot pain radiates from the woman’s throat immediately as she collapses to the ground.

Fear and shock take over all other emotions.

“Stay with me! Medic!” another woman’s voice shouts. “You’re going to be okay!”

Drowning, drowning, can’t breathe, choking. 

Nothing.

Four individuals wake up gasping, grabbing their necks.


	7. Chapter 7

“DAMMIT!” Andy shouted as she kicked the small waste basket near her. Booker watched absently as it thudded against the far wall, their takeout containers scattering across the floor. 

Hands shaking, he reached for the bottle of vodka left on the table, twisting off the cap and drinking from it. 

“There can’t be another one...it’s too soon.” Andy was muttering to herself as she paced the room. 

“What did you see?” Booker asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“A black woman..she’s so young, she’s just a baby,” Andy answered as she turned to face Booker.

“I saw..part of a name tag..Free something...her throat was cut...I felt it.” He cringed as his hand came up to rub over his throat. “She’s some sort of military.”

Andy nodded. “Freeman. She’s a marine, American. She’s in Afghanistan.” 

“We need to get her.” Booker concluded as he took another swig of the vodka.

Andy sighed as she rubbed her forehead tiredly with her hand. “She’s on a base. There’s no telling how many people saw her already.”

“Which is why it’s even more important we go as soon as possible,” Booker reminded her as he began to stand up. Andy held out her hand causing him to pause halfway up.

“I’ll go alone. It’ll be hard enough getting onto the base without being seen. It’ll be easier if it’s just me,” Andy told him, leaving no room for argument. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Booker asked, knowing it would be futile to argue wanting to go with her.

Andy reached for her duffle while also pulling on her jacket. 

“The safehouse in Goussainville. Get it ready for us? We should be there in 3 days.” Andy gave Booker’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze before heading out the door. 

Booker sighed, taking one last swig from the bottle before standing up to begin packing. 

\----

As Malik made his way to work earlier than necessary, he found he had trouble forgetting the nightmare that had woken him up. He had had plenty of nightmares in his life but nothing felt so realistic like the one he’d just had. He had woken up gasping, grabbing his neck, almost certain he’d been burglarized and murdered in his sleep. He had been shocked not to feel blood gushing over his hands.

Malik didn’t need to be at Prodigium for another hour and a half but he felt too restless in his apartment. He stopped at the cafe he frequented, taking a seat in an attempt to enjoy his coffee and kill some time but even that wasn’t enough to keep him occupied. 

His uneasiness remained as he entered the elevator, skipping the floor with his office to make his way to Nicholas. He couldn’t explain why but he felt like only Nicholas would be able to calm the anxiety that was building within himself. 

As the elevator doors opened to the right floor, Malik realized he wasn’t sure if Nicholas would even be awake yet. He cursed himself for his stupidity and was about to hit the button to head back to his own floor when the guard held his hand out, stopping the elevator doors from closing. 

“Glad you’re here, I need to check out early.” The guard ran his hand over his tired face.

“Is everything alright?” Malik asked as he stepped out into the hall. He noticed belatedly that the light to Nicholas’ quarters was on, not dimmed like it usually would be if he were asleep.

“He woke up with a start a few hours ago. He refuses to tell me what’s wrong...he won’t even look this way.” The guard shrugged, patting Malik on the shoulder. 

Before Malik could question him further, the guard already had his phone up to his ear, seemingly fine with their conversation being over.

Malik walked up towards the door, raised his hand to enter the code but then paused. Nicholas was sitting on the floor against the foot of his bed, his legs pulled up with his arms wrapped around them, head hidden in his folded posture. He knocked his knuckles against the glass but didn’t get a reaction. 

Frowning, he knocked again but with no reaction. Clearing his throat, he tried a different approach. 

“Nicholas? May I come in?” he asked softly, watching curiously as Nicholas’ head snapped up, his red rimmed eyes meeting his own instantly. 

From the time he’d spent with Nicholas, he was always composed. This was something entirely different. It put Malik on edge.

Nicholas stood up, nearly tripping over his own feet as he all but collapsed onto the couch. 

Malik opened the door, suddenly feeling nervous in the room. He remained by the door for a few more minutes before deciding it wasn’t making the awkwardness in the room any better by not moving. 

Slowly, he came over towards Nicholas, taking a seat on his end of the couch. Nicholas was hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. 

“Are you ill? Do you need a doctor?” Malik finally asked to break the silence.

Nicholas snorted, the noise sounding somehow bitter and not playful. “I do not get ill.” 

“You said that you can and that you have before. Maybe it is happening again.” Nicholas had told him how he could be poisoned or sore from exertion or how he’d caught the plague and had been bedridden the longest he’d ever been in his life. He did survive, but ailments could befall him. 

Nicholas turned his head so that it was still resting on his clasped hands. From this close, Nicholas’ eyes were brighter than usual thanks to the redness in and around them. His eyes moved over Malik’s face quickly before stilling as he stared into his eyes. Malik attempted to stay still but only lasted nearly a minute before dropping his own eyes and shifting awkwardly. 

“I had a nightmare. A horrible one,” Nicholas whispered to him finally. The way his voice pitched, Malik had assumed he dropped his head once more but when he glanced at him, he was still staring at him. 

“Would talking about it make you feel better?” Malik asked him softly. 

Nicholas’ body remained immobile, almost as though he were a statue except his eyes. His eyes roamed once more over Malik’s face, as if he were searching for something. He then let his eyes glance pointed towards the camera for several seconds before looking back at Malik. 

Malik caught on but could only frown. “I can’t turn them off, it would be against protocol.”

Nicholas nodded. “What a curious life you have.” 

“Why do you say that?” Malik asked.

“I dreamt of a beautiful young woman being killed,” Nicholas said softly. Finally moving a little bit more, Nicholas lifted up just enough so he could rub at his throat. Malik didn’t even think he realized he was doing it. 

It took everything of Malik’s control not to audibly gasp at his words. He felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. He put his hands together, his fingers of his left hand rubbing over his ring finger absently; something he did when he felt distressed. 

“How did she die?” Malik asked, thankful his voice was neutral. 

“Her throat was slit,” Nicholas answered. 

“Do you know her?” Malik asked, doing his best not to let the hysteria welling inside take over. 

Malik watched as Nicholas blinked rapidly a few times at the question, his eyes finally leaving Malik’s own to stare towards the floor instead.

“No, but I would like to.” Nicholas ran his hands over his face several times, as if he could scrub the memory of the nightmare out of his head. 

“Hey...come on..” Malik admonished as he reached out, managing to grab his forearms and stilling their movement. Nicholas immediately turned his wrists so his hands could clasp tightly onto Malik’s forearms. Malik’s instinct normally would have seen this as an attempt at a fight but there was something about Nicholas that pulled him away from the urge to make him let go. Nicholas was grounding himself.

“I am going mad,” Nicholas whispered to him as he started to laugh maniacally. “You are not here.”

“Nicky...I’m here. Can’t you feel me?” Malik asked him.

“Nicky?” Nicholas asked, his laughter stopping almost immediately. 

“Y...yes? I’m sorry, is that not alright?” Malik asked, realizing he was still holding onto Nicholas - Nicky, and let him go, moving to stand instead.

Nicky stared up at him. “It is fine. I do not mind a nickname.” 

Malik paced across from the couch, debating something internally. Nicky watched quietly as he moved, his eyes moving towards Malik’s hands, watching him rub at his finger. He felt a pang in his chest, knowing what he was doing and knowing that his ring was missing. 

Decision made, Malik reached up, hands hidden behind the television. Nicky watched him curiously, unsure what exactly he was doing. As far as Nicky understood, the television was top of the line. He could watch anything his heart desired, as if this small comfort was worth him being stripped of his freedom. 

Nicky pulled one of his legs up, resting his chin on his knee as wrapped his arms around the one leg. He sat quietly as he watched the man in front of him, his eyes lowering as he watched his shirt ride up slightly, revealing his stomach. His fingers twitched with the urge to touch him but he resisted.

After another few minutes of silence, Malik turned to face him, Nicky noticed his phone being shoved into his pocket.

“The security system is on a loop...with any luck, we have five minutes to speak freely,” Malik told him, crossing his arms across his chest. “Why did I have the same dream as you last night?” 

Nicky stood up, relief flooding through his veins but instead of Joe speaking to him to get him out of there, this Malik personna persisted.

“You truly do not know me? In your heart, you do not know?” Nicky asked instead, forcing himself to remain where he was instead of falling into Joe’s arms. 

Malik frowned. “I have only known you for the weeks that you have been under my supervision. There is something like...deja vu, but it could be this strange affliction you seem to have. Perhaps you have bewitched me in some way.” 

Nicky laughed, unable to help himself. “Affliction? Is that what they call it?” 

“Why did we share a dream? You must know something,” Malik tried again.

Nicky sighed, the amusement quickly leaving his face, replacing his features with a deep sadness. “In your current state, I cannot tell you. All I can tell you is that we are the same. When you get hurt, you heal too. Something has been done to you, something sinister. I want to..”

“We’re nothing like the same. That’s impossible,” Malik cut him off. 

Nicky sighed and then before Malik could properly react, Nicky was slamming him into the wall, one arm over his throat, his hand grasping one of Malik’s. With a quick twist, pain throbbed from Malik’s wrist all the way up his arm. Nicky’s arm pressed tightly against his windpipe, making it impossible for him to do nothing else but wheeze in an attempt to get air in and out, let alone even think of shouting the word that would get Nicky off of him. Nicky moved to grab Malik’s forearm instead and pulled his arm so they were both looking at it, staring at Malik’s hand dangling at a strange angle. 

It only took 30 seconds before Malik felt the bones shifting in his wrist, his hand literally popping back into place. He flexed his fingers carefully, turning his hand in awe. Once seemingly satisfied, Nicky let him go, putting his hands up in surrender as he backed away from him.

“I apologize but I figured a demonstration would serve its purpose. You cannot die and your name is not Malik. You are Yusuf Al-Kaysani. You are not safe here. Dr. Jekyll must know what you are and it is only a matter of time before you are locked up like I am,” Nicky said to him, his voice taking on a desperate sort of sound. 

“This is insane. I grew up here. I went to college. I was asked to join this company, I never sought it out.” Malik, shook his head. 

“Think of your past...anything from your childhood even. Something terrible has happened to you. Do you know how I know when I’m dreaming?” Nicky asked, the sudden change of topic confusing Malik.

“How?” he asked uneasily.

“I ask myself how I ended up where I am. A dream has no before. You just are. Reality has a full story. You do not have a full story. Not like this.” Nicky’s eyes began to water though he blinked them away. 

A beeping sound came from Malik’s pocket, causing him to swear. “Sit down, like before, right now,” he hissed at him as he reached back up behind the television. Nicky did as he was told without question. 

Malik pulled his arms out from behind the television. “Everything seems to be in order. I will put in a request with maintenance to do a check on the cables and the connection. It may just be some sort of interference from a power outage.” He shrugged though the tension on his face was still there. 

“Thank you for taking a look. I am not well versed in everything technology has to offer these days,” Nicky said, catching on to the rouse. 

Malik began to sit back down on the couch but Nicky held out his hand instead. Normally, Malik would spend half of his day with Nicky but after what just happened, he would not be upset if Nicky told him to leave. His heart was pounding in his chest, the sound nearly drowning out his own breathing. 

“If you do not mind, I am out of the necessary ingredients for breakfast. After last night, I’d like to make a large meal to take my mind from it. I also would not mind doing some baking. I believe it will be Jordan’s birthday in a few days and I would like to make him a fresh batch of cookies,” Nicky said to him as he reached for his notebook. 

“Sure. I must get the list approved first, but I see no reason not to make an exception to get what you need prior to our usual delivery date,” Malik said to him as watched him scribble down what he needed. 

They sat there in tense silence as Nicky jotted down the ingredients he needed. Malik went back to absently rubbing his ring finger again, his mind going back to the last few minutes of their conversation. His fingers moved from his finger to his wrist, his fingers pressing firmly into the skin, feeling the bones and veins. He was certain Nicky had broken it completely but beyond a dull throb, it was perfectly fine. 

Hearing paper rip, he glanced over to see Nicky holding out the folded piece of paper to him. “Thank you,” he whispered, his fingers accidentally brushing against Malik’s as he passed it on. 

Malik stood up and nodded. “Any time. I will see you later with this,” he said, absently waving the paper before going towards the door. 

\-------

Malik opened the slip of paper once he was in the elevator, heart lurching as he noticed a smaller piece of paper inside of it. Instinctually knowing it was private, he slipped it into his pocket quickly, just as the doors opened to the main floor. 

He made it three steps towards the security team that had to approve all of Nicky’s lists before a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Tensing, Malik spun around only to come face to face with Dr. Jekyll.

“Everything alright?” the man asked as he looked over Malik.

Malik nodded. “Yes, sorry. You startled me,” he admitted, trying to look nonchalant. 

“I apologize. I don’t mean to interrupt but I wanted you to go through the security system. There was some sort of electrical error.” Malik handed the list to the guard who nodded before turning and going with Dr. Jekyll towards Malik’s office. 

“Do you know what I should be looking for?” Malik asked as he took a seat at his computer and typedin the passwords to allow him into the system. 

Dr. Jekyll stood behind him as he peered at the many cameras on more than half of the screen. “No...just that there was a flicker of some kind, as if the power had rebooted.” 

“Nicky mentioned there was something wrong with his television, I was going to have maintenance look at it since there wasn’t anything visibly wrong with it. Maybe it was being affected by whatever it is that caused the issue?” Malik suggested, hoping the lie slid in casually enough in the event that Dr. Jekyll caught anything before Malik could leave. 

“Nicky? Oh...you are referring to Nicholas,” Dr. Jekyll said, though his voice was observational, not prodding. 

Malik typed on the keyboard a series of passwords and specific keys. He couldn’t help but be certain that Dr. Jekyll knew exactly what he had done and was simply waiting for him to confess. He could feel a bead of sweat beginning to trickle on his forehead. 

Hitting enter, he leaned back. “I am running a diagnostics check to see if it can tell me of any obvious inconsistencies. I can email the internet company to see if there have been any outages in the area.” 

“Do you think someone could have hacked into our system?” Dr. Jekyll asked, his voice tense.

Malik shook his head. “No...if that were the case, the system is set up to send everything to our backup server while simultaneously deleting everything on the current server. It would also send out a virus to whoever managed to break the firewalls. There would be nothing here if that happened.” Malik assured him. 

“How strange. Alright. Figure out what happened and report once you have your findings. I assume you had a shopping list from Nicholas? He does know it’s not due for a few days, does he not?” Dr. Jekyll asked as he came back to stand in front of Malik’s desk. 

Malik nodded. “He said he had a nightmare last night. He was very shaken by it. He asked for ingredients to make a large meal to take his mind off of it. I do not see any reason not to grant him his request.” 

Dr. Jekyll nodded. “Very well. I will assign someone to go after the list is approved. Stay on this.” And with that, he left the room.

Malik rubbed his temples tiredly, feeling his shoulders physically lowering from their tense stance. 

The note in his pocket practically burned a hole through his clothes. He was dying to check to see what it said but knew he couldn’t do it here.


	8. Chapter 8

Booker glanced up from where he was peeling potatoes in the sink as the locks on the door began to disengage, announcing the arrival of Andy and the new one. When Andy had called him early in the morning, she hadn’t told him what her name was yet, so she was still only Freeman in his head. 

He watched, almost amused, as her eyes went straight from his own down to the knife in his hand. Slowly, Booker put the knife down, grabbing a dish towel instead and wiping his hands clean.

“Booker, Nile Freeman,” Andy introduced them as she went further into the Goussainville safehouse, dropping her bag down in the corner. 

“Sebastien Le Livre, if you’d prefer the formal name,” Booker added as he stepped forward, holding his hand out. 

Nile looked at his hand suspiciously before taking it, giving him a firm handshake. 

“You look like you could use a nice hot shower. I grabbed some clothes for you if you needed more.” He glanced over to where Andy was already lounging on the couch, a bottle of vodka in her hand. “Andy’s not one to pick up on the necessities beyond getting you out.” 

Andy huffed from where she was sitting. “You try sneaking onto a military base next time.” 

Booker chuckled before turning back towards Nile. “We know this is all a lot to take in. Go on, get cleaned up and we’ll have dinner. The bathroom is just through there and to the left.” 

Nile nodded, disappearing from the room quickly. 

“Was she killed again before you got to her?” Booker asked as he turned back to the potatoes. 

Andy shook her head even though he wasn’t looking at her. “She wasn’t very calm in the face of a potential abduction. I had to stop her.” 

“Andy, she’s already traumatized...you could have tried talking to her before resorting to that,” Booker chided her. 

“There wasn’t enough time. Besides, the point was made.” Andy chugged more of the vodka. 

Booker just sighed as he quietly went back to making their dinner. He made sure that he was using ingredients that would help Nile carb load. Coming back to life sometimes zapped them completely of their energy and it took time to get it back. A full belly would help her sleep and get that energy back. 

When dinner was ready an hour later, Andy moved into the back rooms, finding Nile sitting on the edge of the bed. She wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t moved since she’d gotten out of the shower. 

“Hungry?” Andy asked by way of greeting.

“Sorta.” Nile admitted as she looked up from her clasped hands. “Is this what this life will be? Living in abandoned buildings?” 

Andy shrugged. “Sometimes, but not always. It’s not easy, trying to live in large populated spaces, especially with today’s technology. There are cameras and facial recognition software everywhere. It’s best if we’re never seen.” 

Nile frowned but stood up to follow Andy back into the main living space. 

Booker had placed three plates down on the table and was in the process of opening up a bottle of wine while the other two took their seats. 

Nile inhaled deeply. “This smells good. I haven’t had a good meal in years,” she admitted as she grabbed her fork. 

Booker smiled. “I’m no chef but I can make do when needed.” Once he poured the wine, he took his own seat.

It took a few minutes for Andy and Booker to realize that Nile was staring at them rather than eating right away, instead absently poking at her food. 

“You have questions.” Andy prompted as she stuffed a forkful of steak into her mouth.

“How is this possible? Why can’t we die?” Nile asked, this being the biggest question going through her mind. 

“I don’t know,” Andy shrugged.

Nile rolled her eyes. “You said you had answers when you kidnapped me.” 

“I didn’t say you’d like them,” Andy said as she grabbed for her glass of wine. 

Nile huffed in annoyance. 

“We can die...but we don’t know when. Eventually we just...stop healing,” Booker informed her, knowing Andy didn’t like to talk about the one she had lost permanently. 

“You shot me,” Nile accused Andy, anger forming in her eyes. 

“You’re too young. Too new. I knew you’d be fine.” Nile stabbed her food harder than intended at that. 

“Lykon..he was before my time. He was in battle with Andy and...he was injured gravely. He was the first and only one of us to die and not revive,” Booker explained. 

“So there are others?” Nile asked, a spark of curiosity in her voice. 

Booker and Andy both nodded though Andy diverted her eyes, intently staring at her food. 

“You haven’t dreamt them?” Booker asked timidly.

Nile looked at him curiously, trying to decipher what she was asking. 

“We dream of each other, before we meet. The stress of the first death does not always give your mind space to see anything clear enough. We dreamt of you, that’s how Andy was able to find you.” Booker reached forward, this time taking a long drink of his wine, enough to need to grab the bottle for more. 

Nile closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as she tried to think back to the day before. How had it only been a day ago? It seemed an eternity already. She frowned at that comparison, considering now she might get an idea of what that will feel like. 

“You were asleep...on a couch and a floor..near each other…” Nile muttered, her brow furrowing as she tried to concentrate. “Maybe passed out...empty alcohol bottles...it’s really warm.” 

When she opened her eyes, Andy and Booker were looking at each other, a silent conversation going between the two of them. 

“What?” Nile asked, feeling uneasy and now self-conscious of what she said.

“Was there anything else?” Andy asked, her voice strong though Nile could see there was an emotion in her eyes, though she couldn’t determine what it was. 

Nile took a few minutes to herself, trying to scour her memory for anything else. She mostly remembered the pain and fear from her death. Her hand went to her throat, rubbing at the smooth skin there. She could hear Dizzy’s voice shouting her name, telling her it was going to be okay. 

“No, nothing else. Sorry.” She wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for.

“No need to apologize,” Andy said to her before getting up and walking out of the building. 

Nile watched her go but turned back to face Booker, hoping for some sort of an explanation. 

“It has been a stressful 24 hours for you. We have time to fill you in on everything that this life entails. She just needs a little time alone. Everything will be fine,” Booker assured her though Nile could tell in his eyes that he wasn’t so certain either. Something was haunting the both of them. 

“How old are you?” Nile inquired as she handed her empty plate to Booker who had stood and begun collecting the dishes. 

“I died fighting with Napoleon. 1812,” Booker answered her, turning his back so he could deposit the plates and utensils into the sink. 

“You’re...and Andy?” Nile asked, dropping her hands where she was counting on her fingers just how old Booker was. 

“Old...much older. She doesn’t even know. Well over a millenia, definitely. Probably a few millennia.” He believed Andy that she didn’t know how old she was exactly, though he had a feeling she had some sort of an idea, especially considering today’s ability to research the past. Andy didn’t seem to care enough to know just how old she was

Nile opened her mouth but closed it again, her brow furrowing. Booker chuckled. “It’s hard to imagine, I know. Going from believing you were to live one lifetime to now several is much to consider. We will help you through it. Why don’t you get some sleep.” 

Niled nodded and left the room. She found the bedroom, it being the only other room than the main common area and the bathroom and noticed the three beds. Well, there were two small beds and a cot, the cot already taken up by a few bags. Going towards the bed closest to the door, Nile flopped down onto her back, her arms splayed out to either side of her. She let out a deep breath as she stared at the ceiling, her mind moving in a thousand directions of thought. 

\----

_A white room. Too white, too bright. Never enough darkness to sleep properly. A deep sadness settling into a chest. A foreign language whispering into the empty room. Anxiety._

_A studio with paints and canvas everywhere. Clutter. A dark-skinned hand sketching on a small pad of paper. The start of a woman’s face, frozen in shock. Frozen in death. Familiar. So familiar._

_Water. Too much water. Everywhere. Pressure all over her body. She can’t breathe. Drowning. Drowning. Drowning. Pounding on the metal, frustration and rage in every hit. Water swallowing the scream._

Gasping in fear, Nile shot up into a sitting position, choking on the air she was desperately trying to pull into her lungs. She could still feel the water all over her, holding her down. Chains around her wrists and ankles. The claustrophobia from the metal and the darkness of the water.

A light flicked on allowing Nile to see Booker and Andy both sitting up as well, a gun in Booker’s hand, pointed towards the doorway. They both seemed to relax once they realized Nile was the one that had startled them awake.

“Sorry...bad...bad dream.” She placed a hand on her chest as she struggled to take in slower breaths to calm her racing heart.

Placing his gun back into his waistband, Booker adjusted himself on the cot so he could lean against the wall. “Tell us.” 

Nile looked from one of them to the other: Booker looked resigned but Andy looked tense. If Nile wasn’t running on the adrenaline she’d been given from the dreams, she’d feel a little apprehensive of telling them.

“Just..flashes really. I think...I think I dreamt it before but…” Nile trailed off.

“It’s stressful.” Booker reminded her helpfully to which Nile nodded. 

“I just felt the...rage and the...fury before. I thought the choking was from my...from when I died. I dreamt of water and a...a metal box? Almost like a coffin...so much water. I couldn’t breathe. I could barely move.” Andy made an audible sound, something like a gasp which cut Nile off.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked though her eyes looked accusingly towards Booker. Although Andy came across as indifferent and cold, there was something too vulnerable on her face right now that didn’t warrant looking at her in any sort of frustration. 

“Her name is Quynh,” Booker informed her. “She…”

“She was the first one like us I ever found. I was alone for a long time before that. Too long. But then I found her. It was just us and then Lykon. And then the three of us for much longer until we lost him. After that, we took a long break in fighting pointless wars for pointless causes. We were wild and we were happy. We traveled all over the world on whims. It wasn’t until the 1100s when we dreamt of two more. It was a miracle, those two. Yusuf and Nicolo. They died together. We dreamt of them for many, many years before we finally found them. Maybe they found us, we would always tease and debate amongst ourselves what had happened.” Andy smiled, a soft smile that came to you when a sweet memory implanted itself in the forefront of your mind. “In the 1500s, the boys were in South Africa, saving as many as possible from the slave traders. Quynh and I went to England, to help women escape the accusations of being witches. We were caught.” Andy swallowed hard, her eyes drifting down to her hands, watching her fingers picking at the blanket in her lap.

“When they couldn’t kill them, they separated them. They put Quynh in an iron maiden,” Booker finished for her.

Nile gasped. “And they put her in water...in the ocean?” When neither of them answered, Nile knew her question was answered. She watched as Booker reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask. He took a long drink from it. 

“We searched for nearly 50 years. We tracked down every possible lead, everyone that had been on that original ship. We knew the general area but…” Andy shook her head. Nile could see from across the room the way her eyes were shining. “We lost Joe, Yusuf, in a bad storm because I was too stubborn to halt our search. I was terrified I lost him too and I couldn’t look at the anguish on Nicky’s face because I knew exactly what he was feeling. When he’d gone over the side, he’d managed to grab a rope that was hanging near him. He’d wound it around his arm but he suffered horribly for it. Caught underneath the boat, drowning again and again, being slammed into the boat. Nicky noticed him two days later when the storm finally passed.” 

They had been lucky then, that Joe hadn’t been pulled further and further away from them. That they would have had no idea where to begin to search for him. 

“After that, we stopped. I couldn’t put them through that, even though they were willing to keep searching. Over the years, we’ve tried different searches but we still haven’t found her. I failed her and that’s on me,” Andy finished, leaning her head back against the wall. 

“It wasn’t your fault. It was those bigots, accusing women of witchcraft when we all know it was for nothing,” Booker said softly. 

Nile suddenly turned to face Booker. “Do you still dream of her?” Three hundred years of dreaming of her. She felt suddenly ill.

Booker looked down with a quick nod. “It is not every night. Sometimes it is once a month, other times it can be four times a week. There is no explanation for the dreams.” 

“She’s angry...furious.” Nile frowned, knowing she would fear this woman if they were ever to see her again. “The others..they’re not so angry. Sad and confused...but not angry.” 

At that, both Booker and Andy jerked away from their slouched positions, sitting almost ramrod straight.

“Joe and Nicky? That must be the others you mentioned,” Nile guessed though the looks on their face were tense. 

“What else did you see?” Andy asked immediately.

“I uh…” Nile shook her head as she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “He was saying something but I couldn’t understand it. Something like…’Ty Benny’s or Ella?” Nile tried, knowing she butchered what she had thought she heard. 

Andy and Booker looked at one another as they tried to decipher the names. They both whispered the words quietly on their own. 

Andy was the one who smiled, rolling her eyes with a fond smile. “It was a message. Be well, Sister. Stai Bene, Sorella?” At Nile’s nod, she looked away, likely trying to get a hold of her emotions that were all over her face. 

“That’s Nicky. Is he okay? Is he with Joe?” Booker asked, doing his best to keep his voice neutral though Nile could pick up on the excitement. 

“Uhm...no..I think he’s alone. He’s on a bed and the room is all white. It looks almost like an apartment. There’s no personal touch to it...a big window on one side..almost the entire size of the wall. Like a studio,” Nile explained. Even though she didn’t know him, something warm blossomed in her chest at the idea that he was trying to communicate with her. 

“Was that all?” Andy asked this time, her voice quiet and tight. 

Nile was quiet for a long time as she sat on the edge of the bed, resting her elbows on her knees as she continued to rub her head. 

“Book…” Andy whispered.

“An art studio? Maybe? It’s a different place...the light is dimmed. There’s art all over the walls,” Nile explained to them, opening her eyes in time to see Andy blow out a breath she must have been holding. “He felt confused...and..I think...I think he drew my face?” 

Without warning, Andy got up and left the room. Nile watched her go, feeling as if she had done something wrong. 

“Do we...follow her?” Nile asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. 

Booker shook his head as he extended his arm, holding out his flask for her to take. She only hesitated a moment before grabbing it and taking a swig.

“Thanks,” Nile said as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. “Where are Joe and Nicky then? Do they always go off on their own? Are you two on some sort of private vacation I’ve interrupted?” 

At that assumption, Booker barked out a laugh, surprising himself at the abruptness of it. 

Booker stood up and nodded his head towards the kitchen. “Andy might stab you if she knows you assumed she and I were together, just so you know.” He shook his head in amused disbelief. “Joe and Nicky are another story. Let’s make some coffee and I’ll tell you everything I know about them and the last time we saw either of them.” 

Knowing there was no chance she was going to be falling back asleep any time soon, Nile stood up and followed Booker out into the common room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second art piece from Alby! :D

After spending a day uncertain whether or not he should open the note Nicholas had given him or just give it to Dr. Jekyll, his curiosity got the best of him. He had been haunted by the dream they seemed to have shared and he had no reason not to trust him. A suspicious voice in the back of his head reminded him that Nicholas was a prisoner and therefore he would say anything to gain his trust. The thing that Malik circled back to, however, was all tests that had been done on Nicholas, none of them saying there was any chance he had some sort of telepathic abilities. There was no reasonable explanation as to how they shared the same sort of dream. 

He had been relieved not to dream about anything the night before. He had already been restless, falling into uneasy sleep, only to wake back up, his nerves on high alert. 

Malik couldn’t explain why, but there was something about, even being in the comfort of his own apartment, that made him nervous to open the note. He knew it was silly but he couldn’t shake it. He thought maybe it was because he had been lucky to get away with breaking into the camera system in Nicholas’ room. The scan he had ended up doing told them there had been some sort of system reboot and Dr. Jekyll had believed him. 

Malik had the day off and so he had woken up early and had gone on a long run. He didn’t have a particular destination in mind, only that he wanted to sit somewhere that he had never been too before. He took his time running around and through Hyde Park, letting his mind blank out, focusing on the feeling of his legs burning and his breaths coming out in harsh pants. 

Eventually, he slowed to a stop, allowing himself to stretch his aching muscles and notice his stomach rumbling with hunger. He hadn’t meant to go without breakfast, but he just wanted to get outside. Once he left the park, he walked aimlessly until he noticed a coffee shop, Caffe Nero. 

He walked inside and inhaled the strong scent of delicious, Italian coffee. Malik stared at the menu, glad that they also had food. Once it was his turn to order, he decided on a cortado, a vegetarian breakfast box (which consisted of free range scrambled egg, semi-dried cherry tomatoes, spinach, and Italian style beans, with pumpkin seeds) and an almond croissant. The woman behind the counter smiled at him and assured him they would deliver his order to his table. Nodding, Malik walked towards the corner of the room near the window, glad to see a vacant table. 

Malik idly people-watched as he waited for his order, wanting it on the table with him before he pulled out the note. He wasn’t sure why that seemed necessary but that was his decision. 

Once his food arrived, he thanked the employee and dug in, temporarily forgetting the anxiety growing in his chest in favor of satisfying his hunger. He made a mental note to come back to this place more often. Everything was perfect. 

Feeling satiated, Malik took a sip of his coffee as he reached into his pocket with his free hand, gripping the note tightly. 

After looking around the room and confirming to himself that no one was spying on him, again a weird thought in his head, he carefully unfolded the note. 

Malik wasn’t sure what he had expected the note to say, if he were to be honest. A confession of some sort? A reason why they dreamt the same or a secret to what Nicholas was? How he came to be the way he was? 

Instead, it was what looked to be coordinates to a destination. Underneath, it read, ‘Answers. September 8th.’ He felt his heart thud, realizing that that date was tomorrow. He pulled out his phone to type in the coordinates but then paused. 

The phone was given to him through Prodigium which meant that everything the phone was used for, was being recorded and monitored. He knew this because he had been privy to that information once he was promoted. It was protocol to make sure no one was leaking anything through their phones about the company. Malik had gotten rid of his cellphone, figuring he’d save money not having to pay for a phone plan. 

During his studies, he had spent many, many months in various libraries in the city. He grabbed his coffee, threw away his trash and headed back towards home. He decided he’d stop at the closest library and see where the coordinates would take him. 

\----

It had taken Booker, Andy and Nile half a day to determine what the right coordinates were in the note that Nile saw in Nicky’s hands. She had seen Joe too but only briefly and what looked to be him in a park. She had only remembered part of the coordinates and Sunday’s, today’s, date before her dream of the men transformed into the torture that was Qunyh’s existence took over. 

“The coordinates were on purpose for us. There’s something wrong with both of them,” Andy sighed as she closed the driver’s side door of their car.

“What do you mean?” Nile asked. A few nights ago when Nile had had her first dream of the other immortals, Booker had explained to her when they had last seen the men. 

“If either of them had the means, they’d manage to track us. If we could do it before computers existed, they would have little trouble now. Nicky has reached out to you already once, so my guess is it must be from him. You’re sure they’re not together?” 

As they entered the safehouse in Barnet, England, Booker had begun walking around, doing his best to clean up and remove cobwebs that had settled since the last time someone lived here. This one was one of their newer locations, a small two bedroom home just outside of a few suburbs. They were close enough to have neighbors but far enough away not to cause too many raised brows due to a house sitting empty for so long. Occasionally, they would don an English identity of someone who traveled for work often and would rent out the home. It had been Booker’s idea to help them gain some supplemental income and to keep a home in working order. The last residents had moved out just under a year ago, if Booker remembered correctly. He just hadn’t gotten around to putting it back on the market. 

Nile put her duffel bag down in one of the bedrooms with Andy’s as she followed her through the house. “If you’re asking me if they were in one dream or whatever at the same time, then no. Different places, definitely.” 

“If we’re planning to stay, we’ll need to do a supply run, but other than that, everything is in working order,” Booker told them as they converged on the living room.

Nile reached over to flick on the light, dismayed when nothing happened. Booker looked sheepish. 

“We may need to replace a bulb or two,” he shrugged as Andy smirked. 

“Now what? Do you think they’re going to show?” Nile asked as she walked towards the mantle above the fireplace, her finger tracing lightly over the few books that were sitting on it. 

Andy walked over towards the window near the front door, brushing the curtain aside to look out. There was a neighboring house across the street and down several feet but other than that, this was a private street. It was still early in the morning so she wasn’t surprised no one was here. 

“We wait and see,” Andy ordered.

They had left France as quickly as possible the night before once they figured out where they needed to go and all of them were feeling the exhaustion creeping in. Nile went upstairs to take a nap in the hopes of getting more clues while Booker ran out to the nearest shop to grab them some groceries for lunch, along with coffee.

Andy dragged a chair from the dining room towards the window so she could keep an eye out. She honestly wasn’t sure what she was waiting for, only that she would know it once she saw it. A few cars drove past the house as she waited; a postman, a few trucks, and a large semi likely having taken a detour on their route. She watched as a family, two parents and two children, rode bikes along the road. She couldn’t help but wonder where they lived. There weren’t many homes around this area so she figured they were either lost or on an adventure.

She had just stood up, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to search the kitchen for alcohol really quickly when she heard another car. For a second she had considered ignoring it, but when the sound didn’t pass like the other cars had, she turned back around. 

Looking outside, she watched as a blue car rolled to a stop just before the driveway. The windows were tinted, giving Andy no positive identification of who the driver was. She knew it wasn’t Booker because they had no reason to worry about needing to switch cars. And, if it had been, he would have pulled in. 

Grabbing her gun that was resting on the table, she unlocked the safety and stood behind the door. Leaning forward, Andy peered out of the peephole. She was almost certain this wasn’t a trap but she couldn’t help but be paranoid. 

She stood there in tense silence for a few minutes before there was finally movement from the car. She watched as the driver’s side door opened and someone stood outside of it. The peephole made the person look slightly blurred but she could tell that it was a man and he was wearing a black leather jacket. He wore sunglasses and was currently looking down at what was likely a piece of paper and then up towards the house and around the area. She watched as one of his hands came up to run through his hair and the gesture alone told her who it was. Shoving the gun into the back of her pants, Andy yanked the door open.

The man startled as he heard the door open and seemed to freeze as he looked towards Andy.

Andy stood in the doorway, letting her eyes take in her missing friend, her missing brother. 

“Joe,” she said softly, her voice tight with emotion. 

The man continued to stare and Andy could see the way his brow began to furrow.

Andy took a couple steps closer to him, watching as his body language tensed, going on the defensive. She moved closer until there was only a couple feet between them.

Malik frowned at her as he took in his surroundings before looking back down at the paper with the coordinates and the directions on it. This was definitely where they took him.

“I uh...I don’t mean to intrude,” Malik said lamely. “I was advised to come here...but I’m not sure why.” And he also wasn’t sure why he was telling this woman this. “I’ll go.”

He turned around but before he could take more than two steps, a small, albeit strong, hand wrapped around one of his biceps. He turned back to face the woman, her expression hard. 

“Do you know who I am?” Andy asked after looking over him carefully, dropping her hand.

“Should I?” he asked. “Did we go to school together?” Malik couldn’t recall knowing her, however, there was something familiar about her. 

“Do you know who you are?” she asked instead.

Malik rolled his eyes. “Of course I know who I am. That’s a silly question.” But he could hear Nicholas’ voice in the back of his head, ‘You are Yusuf Al-Kaysani.’ 

“I don’t know where you’ve been or what’s happened to you but we’re going to figure it out, alright? Let’s go inside and talk,” Andy suggested as she turned to start walking back towards the house. 

When she didn’t hear him walking with her, she sighed and turned back to face him. She could see it in his stance, that he was preparing to leave. Not just leave, likely make a run for it. 

“Joe…” Andy started, her voice a warning tone. 

“My name is Malik! Not...not Yusuf...or Joe? None of this makes any sense. I’m a fool for coming here.” He turned and made to run towards the car, sensing somehow that he was suddenly a fly in a spider’s web. 

Andy caught up to him, grabbing onto his arm. In a reflexive move, Malik managed to twist her arm, removing her hold and pushing her away from him. 

“I’m giving you one chance to come inside peacefully,” Andy threatened him, a smirk reflecting a challenge being given on her face. 

“Not going to happen,” Malik answered her as he lowered his center, ready for an assault. 

“Chokehold,” Andy said, causing Malik to frown.

Before he could realize her eyes were looking just behind him, an arm wrapped itself around his throat, another around his torso. Malik gasped in surprise, trying and failing to pull his arms free from the hold. 

Malik began to drop his weight, hoping to cause the person holding him to lose their hold but the woman came up to them, keeping him standing while also placing her hand firmly over his mouth to prevent him from shouting out. 

His vision began to white out, dots floating at the edge of his vision, slowly closing in. He continued to try to struggle but between the woman and what he suspected was a man behind him, he knew he wasn’t going to get free. His last thought before losing consciousness was that he hoped Nicky hadn’t set him up to hurt him. The very last thought, though he wouldn’t remember it was a voice in the back of his mind assuring him that Nicky would never do anything to hurt him.

\------

When Malik came to, he realized two things; one being that he was sitting up and two, that something metal, likely handcuffs, were binding his wrists together. 

He groaned as he let his head lift up, feeling a slight stiffness in his neck. He looked around the room that he was in and found that it was a simple run of the mill, dining room. There was a table with three more chairs around it. A bottle of vodka sat on the table, half full. There was a living room further into the room, a large couch and a bookshelf was all he could see, the wall of the dining room blocking the rest. He assumed if he were to go in the other direction through a small hall, it would lead him to a kitchen. 

“The headache should be going away, though you already know that,” a voice, the same woman from earlier, said from behind him. He tensed, waiting to be struck.

When she didn’t do that, but only walked around to face him, he glared at her. “How would I already know that?” he asked, pulling uselessly at the cuffs. His arms were through the arms of the chair so he knew if he tried to make a run for it, he’d be taking the chair with him. 

Sighing loud enough for both of them to hear, Andy walked in front of him, grabbing a chair and sitting heavily in it. He noticed that she sat far enough away that if he tried to strike, she’d have more than enough time to react. She was good. 

He watched as she reached over and grabbed the vodka, taking a swig out of it. “I’d offer you some, but I know you don’t drink.” 

Malik scoffed, rolling his eyes. “This was clearly a trap and you’ve got me. What do you want?” 

Andy frowned at his words. “A trap? You’ve been missing for nearly 40 years. Why don’t you tell me how you found us?” 

Malik stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. “I’m not even 35, how could I be missing for 40?” 

“You’re right, you’re definitely not even 35,” Andy shot back. 

Hearing steps coming closer, Malik tensed as a man, the one who likely got the jump on him earlier, joined them. He grabbed another chair and sat next to the woman. 

“Oh...so this is the big speech?” Malik asked, trying to put on a brave front though couldn’t do anything about the stress that was likely very present on his face. A friend of his from school used to tease him that he should never play poker; he wore his emotions on his sleeve. He couldn’t help it. 

“Mon frere…” Booker began but at a shake of Andy’s head, he didn’t continue whatever it was that he was going to say. “Have you been with Nicky? Is he somewhere safe?” 

Malik frowned, biting his lip as the realization that this must have been a setup came to the forefront of his mind, again. The only part he couldn’t figure out was how Nicky knew they’d be here.

“You’re not going to tell us?” Booker asked, his voice taking on a wounded sound. 

“He doesn’t know who he is, somehow,” Andy told her companion. 

“I told you, my name is Malik,” Malik said, managing to keep his voice neutral. 

“What’s your last name?” Andy asked him but Malik just turned his head. Rolling her eyes, she gave a nod towards Booker. 

Malik watched as the man stood up and came closer to him. He tried to shift away from him but could do nothing as the man reached into his back pocket, producing his wallet. 

Booker stood as he flipped through the items: a driver’s license, ID card for the Natural History Museum, two credit cards, a bank card, 65 euros and an old library card. 

Booker left the room for a minute before coming back, a laptop in his hands. He rested it on his lap as he took his seat next to Andy. 

“Don’t worry, this laptop is encrypted. Even if someone noticed us searching his name, they won’t be able to find us,” Booker explained to Andy before she could even get a word out. 

“If you’re looking for a ransom, I regret to inform you that my mother is dead and anything she left behind paid her medical debts,” Malik told them as he shifted in an attempt to get more comfortable. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting in this wooden chair but it was long enough for his ass to start to go numb. 

“My name is Andromache, though now I go by Andy.. This is Sebastien Le Livre...or Booker,” Andy explained to Malik as she stared intently at him. “Nicolo di Genova and you, Yusuf Al-Kaysani, are part of this family. I don’t know why or how, but you seemed to have forgotten.”

Malik continued to frown. “If you’re my family, why did you handcuff me to a chair?” 

“Because you’re not yourself and you’ll run at the first opportunity. You don’t think I’ve noticed how you’ve already canvased as much of the interior as you can. You see three escape routes and you figure if you’re able to break the chair, you could use one of the broken legs as a makeshift weapon,” Andy explained to him calmly. 

Malik didn’t dignify that with a response. 

“Whoever made his identity did a damn good job,” Booker muttered, more to himself, though also for Andy’s benefit. 

“What do you mean?” she asked, leaning over to stare at the laptop. 

Booker looked up at Malik. “You really were in college for all those years, weren’t you? You did have a mother but….” he trailed off as he opened another tab and began typing in another search. 

“But what?” Malik asked despite himself. 

“Salima Nader. Born and raised in London. Was married when she was 25 years old. Had one son. Husband died from cancer shortly after. Died from a brain aneurysm when she was 31, leaving her 4 year old but….” Booker frowned as he leaned closer to the screen. 

“But what?” Malik asked again, his eyes watering as he came to learn just how she died. 

“According to her birth certificate against the date of her death, she would have been in her 70s. The brain aneurysm isn’t accurate, at least, how old she was is wrong. I can track most of her life until the 90s, then it’s clear there’s tampering with her records from then on. This is a deep fake. She was a teacher but then her records in the 80s changed. Something changed about her,” Booker explained to them.

“Could she have done this to him?” Andy asked, talking about Malik as if he wasn’t sitting there with them.

Booker continued looking at the screen, Malik able to see what he was viewing change based on the light reflecting off of Booker’s face. “I think it’s possible she was part of it but there’s more. Whatever I’m missing, it’s hidden really well.” 

“Can you find it?” Andy asked, her voice sounding authoritative. 

“Maybe though I’m not sure how important it is. I’ve seen deep fakes like this before, though they usually turn out to be because the person is a spy,” Booker informed her. 

Malik laughed, unable to help himself. “You think my mother was some spy? That’s insane.” 

“How would you know?” Booker asked him. His voice wasn’t cruel, more matter of fact. “According to this, you barely knew her.” 

“She was my mother, I can feel the emotions she gave me when I was around her. That’s enough,” Malik growled, ready to defend her against these strangers. 

Andy sighed. “Back to his records, what are you finding?” 

They both watched silently as Booker typed and clicked away. He reminded Malik of those crime shows where they had the one tech person that all but attacked their keyboards when they were searching for the bad guy. 

“Malik Nader’s birth certificate is fake. There’s no history of this person existing until he started college. Then it looks as though he created some social media accounts, email, work IDs, a phone and apartment,” Booker finally told him after checking and double checking his findings. 

“This is insane. You’re both insane. Let me go!” Malik shouted, beginning to struggle in earnest in the chair. 

“Do not break that chair,” Andy warned, her hand moving below the table, a metal glint hitting the light letting him know that she had a gun. 

“You’ll shoot me if I break a chair? Great family,” Malik said dryly. 

“This is more to prove a point later,” Andy shot back. 

“Later? Why bother?” Malik challenged.

“If you say so,” Andy shrugged, pulling the gun out from under the table and firing it.

Malik cried out, both in shock and in pain as he stared down at his right thigh, watching as blood began to seep out of the bullet wound. He breathed heavily through his nose, trying not to get sick from the pain. 

“You’re fucking insane,” he managed to bite out as he tried to move to find any sort of comfort in his position from the pain. 

When Andy stood, Malik flinched back into the chair as though he could keep the space between them. She reached down, using her fingers to rip the hole in his jeans wider. 

“Just relax and watch,” she instructed him as she used her palm to wipe away the blood on his leg. He hissed between his teeth from the sensitivity of her touch on the wound. He wanted to look anywhere but where she wanted but curiosity got the best of him, especially when the pain began to fade.

Staring at his leg, Malik watched in disbelief as the bullet, which was definitely lodged deep into his thigh, began to burrow out, eventually growing completely out of his leg and rolling to the side, catching on his ripped pants. Andy moved her fingers across his thigh to wipe away more blood and to show him the wound. And that would have been what he should have seen. Except there was no wound. His skin was clear as if nothing had happened.

“What….” Malik said quietly. 

Andy reached into her back pocket, producing a knife. Malik tensed up, ready for another wound but instead, she ran the blade over her forearm. He watched the blood trickle down her arm to begin dripping on the floor. She wiped at her arm and then held it up for him to see. The wound was gone, as if nothing had ever happened. 

“This must be a curse,” Malik insisted as his eyes strayed back down to his leg. 

“Good to know some of your personality is still in there somewhere,” Andy chuckled. “That’s what you believed for a long time. Eventually, you preferred to believe it was a blessing.”

“How could something like this possibly be a blessing?” Malik asked petulantly. 

“You’ll have to talk to Nicky about that,” Andy answered him. She came closer to him and knelt down slightly so they were eye to eye. She held the knife in her hand, a warning if he were to guess. “Where is he?” Her voice, although still commanding, softened at the question. “We want our family back together. Once we get Nicky, we can help you.” 

Malik met her eyes, trying his best to be defiant but her gaze was piercing and he found himself looking away. 

“If you didn’t know who I was talking about, you would say as much. I know you wouldn’t hurt him if you could avoid it. So the question remains. What happened to you? And what’s happened to him?” Andy exhaled through her nose deeply before standing back up. 

“Find anything else?” Andy asked Booker as she grabbed the vodka bottle, though remained standing instead of sitting back down.

“His deep fake is similar to Salima. Their lives just...alter.” Booker ran a hand over his face. “You’re mixed up in something. I will find it.”

“It’s getting late. You ditched the car far enough away from here?” Andy asked which caused Malik to frown harder, if that was possible. 

“You got rid of my car?” Malik asked in disbelief, as if being handcuffed to a chair was the least of his worries. 

“There’s no doubt in my mind there’s a tracking device on it somewhere. We can’t take any chances. I know you’re mad now, but once we figure out how to help you, you’ll be thanking us.” With that, Andy walked out of the room. 

“Is she always so…” Malik began. “Bossy? You could say that.” Booker finished for him with a grin on his face. He moved the laptop so it was sitting on the table. “Are you hungry? Might as well eat something before we move you to a bed.” 

Malik straightened in the chair. “Bed? I can’t...I’m not going to stay here.” 

“You thought we were just going to let you go now that we’ve got you back?” Booker asked.

“This is kidnapping! You people are insane!” Malik growled, pulling at the cuffs once more. 

“Yes, this is kidnapping but we’re not the ones who have done it.” Booker sighed and Malik could see that there was a pained look in his eyes. If he wasn’t so angry at the situation, he would believe that the man really, genuinely cared about him. That maybe they were telling the truth, although that seemed insane. This whole situation was insane. “I’m just so sorry we couldn’t find you sooner. You just...disappeared off of the face of the earth.” 

Malik rolled his neck on his shoulders. “Even if I believed you, which I don’t, I can’t stay here. I need to get back to my apartment.” 

“Okay, I’ll humor you. Why’s that?” Booker asked as he pulled out a flask from his jacket.

“I need my insulin,” Malik told him calmly. 

Booker choked on his drink, coughing and sputtering as he attempted to get air into his lungs. 

“Yeah. Well done with your kidnapping plot. Looks like you missed a detail.” Malik felt petulant but glad that there was at least something he had over them.

“Andy!” Booker called, both men hearing the woman approaching the room. “He claims he has diabetes.” 

“Why would a diabetic travel without their insulin?” Andy asked, though she shared a look with Booker. 

He shrugged. “There was nothing in the car.” 

Malik rolled his eyes. “I have a pump. And my insulin will need to be replenished tomorrow evening.” 

“What we are. We’re not capable of getting bodily diseases. Our organs heal too quickly for something like that.” Andy frowned as her eyes roamed over his body. Moving closer, her fingers rushed over the edge of his shirt near his waist.

“What are you doing?” Malik asked, his victory of having something over them quickly diminishing. 

“Stay still,” Andy ordered him though Malik wasn’t listening. He moved as much as he could, managing to back himself and the chair away from her. He didn’t get far, however, as he managed to back into a wall. 

“Book,” Andy said as she came closer, Booker right behind her. The man grabbed Malik’s legs, using his weight to hold them down as Andy pulled his shirt up, exposing his torso to the both of them. Malik watched as both of their eyes zeroed in on the pump attached to his stomach. 

Andy reached out, fingers curling around the device. 

“Don’t you fucking dare…” Malik warned her before shouting in pain as Andy gave a sharp tug, pulling it, and the tubing, out of him. They both backed off of him. Wordlessly, she handed it over to Booker who left the room. 

Malik bent over, as much as he could with his arms where they were, inhaling deeply to breathe through the pain. 

“You’re insane! You’re going to have murder on your hands!” he cried out as he sat up, still breathing through it. 

“You’re not going to die.” Andy reached over though Malik didn’t try to kick her away this time. As she lifted up his shirt again, she looked, with relief, that his skin had already healed over. 

Malik watched dumbstruck as Andy left the room, leaving him alone.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been two days now without Joe-Malik showing up for his shift. Nicky was slightly relieved, since it meant he likely went to the safehouse after all. He didn’t want to get his hopes too high but he couldn’t help but also believe that his family was involved. If they were there, there’s no chance they would have let Joe leave. Nicky just hoped Andy would have some sort of an idea as to what was wrong with his memory. 

He had written another copy of the note he’d slipped Joe for himself, holding it between pages of one of his books, hoping the new one would see it. He had stared and stared until he knew he had to get rid of the note. He ended up tearing it into several pieces and added it to his pasta dish for dinner that same night. 

A new guard had come in Joe’s place though this one didn’t seem interested in befriending him whatsoever. The guard came in, checked over his food supply, gave him fresh towels and then left to sit outside of the room. He preferred it that way right now, though admittedly over the years, he didn’t mind when some of them wanted to spend time with him. He was accustomed to solitude but he was human and humans needed interaction with others. 

Nicky tried to sleep as much as possible in the hopes that he would see the new one, and maybe, his family again. When he thought back to his time dreaming of Andy and Quynh and then again with Booker, he felt like they had been constant. Time warped memories so he figured it was likely it hadn’t been as often as he recalled. Now, trapped with his loneliness, he wished it’d be nightly. He could imagine he was with them once more. He could watch as his family took care of Joe. 

At the moment, Nicky was standing beside his stove, making an omelet for breakfast. He watched as the egg cooked around the mushrooms, tomatoes and sweet peppers that he had already sauteed before adding it in. He hated burning food so he took this part of the omelet making seriously. 

He reached over, removing the teapot off of the stove as it started to whistle, grabbing a cup at the same time. He wished he had a proper tea pot but, boiling hot water and using the little tea bags he was given was better than nothing. He grabbed the English Breakfast bag, putting it into the cup at the same time he poured the water. With his eyes still on the omelet, he managed to flip it, glad he didn’t break the egg.

He was just plating the omelet onto a plate when he heard someone at the door. Sighing, he scooped up his plate, a fork and his cup of tea before moving across the room and taking a seat on the couch. 

“How are you doing Nicholas? It’s been a while.” Nicky felt his back tense, not having bothered looking over to see who was entering the room. 

Careful not to make any sudden moves, or spill anything, Nicky placed his plate and tea on the table in front of him. He turned his head, giving the man a small smile in greeting.

“Hello Dr. Jekyll. It has been some time since you’ve last visited,” Nicky agreed, keeping his hands folded in his lap. 

“Chasing monsters around the world can be exhausting and terribly time consuming.” He answered him as he came around the front of the couch to stand in front of the television. 

“I do not doubt that.” Though the Doctor was reasonably friendly with Nicky, he hadn’t always been so. He could be cruel, blinded by his need to rid the world of anything he didn’t understand. He was like hundreds of thousands of men Nicky had known or heard about in the past, only his taste was in finding those who shouldn’t exist. 

“I believe something strange happened the other day.” Dr. Jekyll began, not one to beat around the bush. “Something in this very room, but I can’t explain what. I was hoping you would enlighten me.” 

Nicky leaned back into the couch, his attempt to look casual and comfortable. “The television turned itself on and then off again though your maintenance replaced a bad cable,” Nicky offered, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. 

“Not that.” Dr. Jekyll crossed his arms over his chest. 

Nicky shook his head. “One of your guards is sleeping with another one. They were texting one another when he was on his shift. I could tell that smile was for her.” 

“Tell me where he is.” Dr. Jekyll demanded. 

Nicky stared at him. “The only person I know where they’re at at all times, is myself. In this room. In this cell you put me in.”

”You want to know my working theory?” Dr. Jekyll asked, not looking for an answer to which Nicky remained silent. “I think that our neuro doctor’s experiment failed spectacularly. I think instead of having two extraordinary individuals who have the same affliction, I now have one. And...I think you know each other more than you’re letting on.” 

“That is a nice theory, Doctor. I do not believe I have had the opportunity to meet this neuro doctor of yours. If this other individual has escaped your prison, pardon me for not feeling sorry for you. This is no place to live.” 

Nicky remained unflinching, even as Dr.Jekyll turned and punched the wall. He wasn’t surprised there wasn’t so much as a dent in the wall; he himself had once gone near mad, trying desperately to get out of here. He had only managed to break his knuckles several times, and force a crew to clean up his blood.

“Really, it’s my fault. I thought that Kozak’s work was ingenious. Surely she had created the perfect cocktail to give him a blank slate in his memory. Carefully, she crafted memories that were suited for him. Her assistant was even the perfect individual to build memories with visual cognition to give him a mother figure. He’s a fighter, skilled at combat, like you. We couldn’t lose him to an army, so security seemed accurate. The historical knowledge he would sometimes slip when he was being experimented on gave us the assumption he was very old. Older than you claim, though we were gentler with you than we were with him. Kozak had the idea to have him go to university for history, hoping to test her abilities while at the same time subconsciously helping him find historical discoveries for us.” Dr. Jekyll stopped his pacing so he could face him. “But allowing him to see you, that was my mistake. Something about you made him go on the run.”

Nicky could feel his jaw clenching as he listened to what this man was telling him, but he knew he couldn’t react. He knew that keeping a calm facade was important, especially now. If he could tell he was getting to him, it would only make the situation worse.

“Maybe it is karma, for doing something so nefarious to a person. Perhaps this person was stronger than you initially thought,” Nicky suggested with a shrug. 

“I would believe that, had this not worked well for the past 15 years,” Dr. Jekyll lamented as he stared at Nicky, as if he were going to give him the answer he was searching for. “He left his apartment Sunday half past ten without taking his phone with him. His car was tracked to a parking garage in Bedford. There is no reason for him to head that way. And even if I wanted to believe he was on a day trip, he would have been here for his shift.” 

Nicky kept his face blank. He had to hope the car had been ditched, not that Joe had gone to the wrong city. That was the only viable option to him, otherwise, the voice in the back of his head wanted to tell him Joe had gone missing again and it was something he couldn’t handle. He had faith that Andromache was with him. 

“It’s unfortunate Dr. Kozak was given an opportunity to expand her talents in the pharmaceutical industry, though I would imagine she’d be interested in testing her serum on another one,” Dr. Jekyll pondered as he ran his hand over his short beard.

“That sounds like a threat for something I have had no part in. If he is truly like me, then I cannot feel sorry for you that you lost another captive.” Nicky wanted to fight this man. He knew that he could take him but all it would take is one word and he’d be incapacitated. Even if he could take him down, the guards outside of the room would surely stop him.

Dr. Jekyll came around the coffee table until he was leaning down, his face inches from Nicky’s. “This is your last chance. Tell me where he is.” The man reached out, grabbing the front of Nicky’s shirt tightly in a fist. 

“Careful Doctor, it looks like Mr. Hyde is rising to the surface.” Nicky knew it was a mistake to bring him up, but he couldn’t help it. 

Before he could so much as smirk at the Doctor, his body seized, his mind barely comprehending the word ‘LOCK’ having been shouted from the Doctor’s mouth. 

When Nicky regained consciousness it was to a man in a lab coat shining a light into his eyes. Instinctually, he went to raise his arm to block out the light but was unable to due to the fact that he was strapped to a table. 

\-----

After he had been knocked out again, Malik had woken up this time in a bedroom. His shoes and jacket had been removed but otherwise he was still in his jeans and t-shirt. He was also handcuffed to a bed frame this time. He spent a half an hour trying and failing to get loose before he had to concede temporary defeat. 

He managed to wiggle around enough to raise his shirt, confirming what he already knew. His pump had been removed and never put back. 

He tried to calm his racing heart, believing that there was no way these people would actually let him die. He couldn’t explain why he could heal quicker than anyone else but he sure as Hell never tempted death. 

Hearing and watching as the door opened, Malik sent a glare towards whoever it was coming to see him. The last thing he cared to do right now was listen to Booker or Andy go on and on about him not knowing who he himself was. 

What he didn’t expect was for another to come into the room. His glare quickly dissolved from the anger he was feeling to curiosity. The only way to describe how he felt seeing her would be deja vu. 

“Uh..hey.” A young black woman greeted him awkwardly, her eyes flicking over his body on the bed before resting on his face.

“Hello,” Malik replied slowly. 

“Andy doesn’t think I should bother you but she also said that once we meet, I’ll stop dreaming of you and if you don’t mind, I’d like to cross that off my list of things I’m still in control of,” the woman explained to him. She walked fully into the room before taking a seat on the bed across from him. 

Malik’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her and listened to what she was saying. He gave a weak attempt at freeing himself once more before releasing the tension in his body, all but flopping back down. “You’re from my dream, aren’t you?” he asked quietly.

He turned his head to the side so he could look at her. She nodded her head. 

“I’m Nile,” Nile introduced herself. “I’m new,” she added. 

“Malik,” he told her. He glanced towards the door and then back to her. “You know this is kidnapping right?” 

“Look, a couple days ago I died and now I’m here trying to wrap my mind around it. All I know is that those two people downstairs care about people like them, us. They said you don’t remember who you are but it’s pretty clear they’re relieved to have you back. I don’t know how...healing of the brain can affect memory but I think they’re going to figure it out,” Nile said to him solemnly. 

Malik rolled his eyes as he turned his head to stare at the ceiling. “I’m a diabetic and they took my insulin. I can feel it. My levels are low.” 

“I know I don’t know y’all much yet but from what I’ve gathered, that’s not possible. Andy said Booker once had liver damage from drinking too much but before liver failure could kill him, he healed.” Nile sighed as she watched Malik, Joe, do his best to ignore her. “Alright well, do you want some water or something?” 

Malik continued to stare at the ceiling in his attempt to shut her out.

“Message received.” 

Although Malik couldn’t see her, his eyes followed her out of the room. 

\----

Malik continued to doze in and out over the indeterminate amount of time, his body feeling worse and worse. He was sweating, he felt nauseous and was gaining a massive headache. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had a headache. 

He had trouble paying attention when someone would come into the room to talk to him. Their voices seemed too loud, his head sensitive to any noise. He was pretty sure they were asking him if he needed to get up to use the bathroom or stretch his legs but he couldn’t answer. He was certain this is what dying felt like.

At some point, someone had put a cold towel on his forehead, another resting over his neck. The cooling sensation felt nice though he was loathe to admit it, even to himself. He was also pretty sure someone had stuck something into his arm at some point but he wasn’t sure if he was being drugged or having blood drawn. His body felt weak, too weak for him to move away. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he began to panic in earnest. He was begging, blabbering away. If they would just give him some insulin, he’d feel better and be able to handle this better. Just a little bit. He wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything before. 

Feeling queasy, he barely managed to move himself, nearly toppling awkwardly over the side of the bed before a hand firmly held onto his shoulder and a bucket appeared in front of him. He puked, grateful that it was going into something and not all over the floor. He never liked puking and struggled to handle the smell. 

When Malik woke next, he felt completely drained but not as awful as he previously felt. He could sense before opening his eyes that someone was sitting near him. He slowly opened his eyes, groaning from the brightness of the sunlight streaming in from the window. The person got up and Malik didn’t open his eyes again until the light lessened on his eyelids. 

“You need to drink some water, you’re dehydrated,” a voice, Andy, said to him encouragingly. 

Too tired to fight her, he nodded slowly. Andy moved her hand to the back of his sweaty neck, supporting him while she held a bottle of water to his dried lips. He drank from it gratefully, though the angle caused him to dribble some of it down his chin and onto his neck. Once satisfied, he nodded to her, letting his head rest heavily back onto the pillows. 

“Do you know what’s happening to you?” Andy asked, this time sitting beside his hip. If he had any energy whatsoever, he’d give her a reason for that to be a mistake but as it was, he was in no position to even attempt at being threatening. 

“I’m dying a slow painful death?” Malik asked bitterly.

“You’re going through withdrawal, Joe,” Andy said to him. 

Malik screwed up his face in confusion before forcing his eyes open to look at her. Her face was honest and open. He didn’t know why but, even though she was likely the culprit of cuffing him to a bed, he believed her. 

“I’ve had to take insulin my whole life...that would make sense,” he said weakly though he knew that insulin wasn’t something that became addictive. 

Andy reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. Malik guessed it had been what was left of his insulin. “Booker reached out to a pathologist acquaintance to test this to see what it was. This is a cocktail of various drugs that have been proven to affect memory. And, there’s traces of heroin. I think the heroin was added in the hopes that you would never forget to ‘take your insulin.’ What you thought were symptoms of low blood sugar was from an addiction.” She placed the vial down onto the table. “I’m so sorry that you’re going through this.” 

She reached over, her hand gently resting against his chest, her thumb absently rubbing below his collarbone. “I’m hoping it’ll only be another day before the withdrawal feelings let up. We can heal from just about anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s always quick. It’ll be a long road to recovery but we’ll be here to help you.” 

“This is insane.” Malik frowned as he tried to adjust his position a little on the bed. 

“Yeah, but we’re going to see you through it,” Andy told him with a lovely smile. Malik could feel his own lips wanting to tilt upwards before he stopped it. “Please, if you know where Nicky is, can you tell me?” 

Before he could continue to deny it, Andy raised her hand so she could press her fingers against his lips. “You were calling for him the other night. Whether you realize it or not, he’s in that head of yours and you want comfort from him.”

Malik closed his eyes, trying to search his mind for when exactly he had been ‘calling’ for him. He honestly couldn’t recall but there was a name that came to the forefront of his mind. 

“Nicolo,” Malik said softly when he opened his eyes, as though he was testing the name on his lips. Somehow, he knew the name was from his own memory and not from her saying his name on that first day. “How many days have I been in this room?” By the way he smelled, it was certainly more than one.

“Four days. You’ve been mostly out of it. Booker helped you to the bathroom yesterday but that’s the only time you’ve been up. I’m not entirely sure you were lucid at that moment,” Andy told him. 

“Prodigium.” Malik sighed, a decision being made in his mind. 

“What?” Andy asked. 

“What Booker was missing in his search on me and...maybe my mother too. It’s a secret society. They contacted me to help with tracking the whereabouts of a rumored castle.” He decided to leave out the part where they were looking for Dracula’s castle. “Officially, Prodigium doesn’t exist. They’re able to hide through parent companies that have to do with archeological excavations.”

“And they have Nicky?” Andy could feel her heart pounding, the hope and frustration that her little brother was so close after all this time growing inside of her. 

Malik sighed but then nodded. “Unless this is a clever con and I’ve just sentenced him to a fate worse than he has now...he does not deserve to be trapped like an animal at the zoo. His heart overflows with a kindness of which this world is not worthy of.” 

He looked at her suspiciously when she saw the smile growing on her face. 

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. You just...you sound like you. The real you. Joe ‘the incurable romantic’ as you’ve been called many times.”

“A romantic?” Malik asked in disbelief. 

Andy hummed in agreement. “Very much so. You have the soul of an artist and a poet.” Reaching over tentatively, Andy carefully brushed back Joe’s sweaty curls that were clinging to his forehead. He wanted to attempt to pull away but he was too weak and it felt nice, if he were being completely honest. “But also a protector.”

“It’s with Nicky isn’t it?” At Andy’s furrowed brow, he elaborated. “The one I’m, er, romantic with?” At the softening of her gaze, he felt the little bit of anxiety that was growing in his chest to ease itself. “I felt a...connection to him as soon as I saw him for the first time. Prodigium’s headquarters is underneath the Natural History Museum in London. My credentials are in my apartment.”

“They’re not there,” Andy told him. “Book went yesterday to see if there was anything useful to grab but the place had already been cleared out. They know you’re gone.” 

Malik wanted to feel angry that Booker had apparently gone to his place but it was replaced with the shock that someone, most likely Prodigium, had already been there. He knew they were careful with keeping the company undiscovered but his entry cards were non-descript. The only reason anyone should have shown up to his apartment would be to check in to see if he was ill since he hadn’t been to work, or answering his phone. 

“I’ll get Booker on it. If anyone will be able to get information on this company, it’ll be him. He’ll get us blue prints and we’ll work out a plan to get in. If you’re feeling up to it, we’re going to need to know all there is about this place,” Andy said to him, though her voice held the tone of someone who was used to commanding and executing orders. 

“Do you think I could shower? Maybe have some clean clothing?” Malik asked, his voice hopeful.

“I’m sure we can work something out,” Andy told him as she stood up. “I’ll be back soon.”


	11. Chapter 11

After being threatened that he’d be shot, several times, if he tried to escape, Andy had uncuffed Malik and let him clean up. Booker had gone to a store after Malik’s apartment had been a bust and grabbed him more clothes. 

He felt a little better except that he was shaky and still sweating, on top of a splitting headache. He had taken some pain killers once he’d exited the bathroom but they didn’t do anything.

Instinctively, he backed away when Andy came towards him with the handcuffs. When he promised he wasn’t going to try and escape, she smiled at him but then told him that she didn’t believe him. They found a compromise however, and so sat on the bed, his ankles cuffed together instead. If anything, he wasn’t going to manage much in this state. 

After Booker and Nile managed to make them all some dinner, the four of them crowded in the bedroom as Andy and Booker asked him question after question about Prodigium. What did their security look like? Was the security team loyal to Prodigium or was this just a job? How many were in the building at any given time? How do they get to Nicky? What happens if the elevator doesn’t work? 

Malik answered all of them to the best of his ability, his hand absently rubbing at his temples throughout the night. Some of the weakness lifted, possibly also from eating solid food, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. 

“Were you always with Prodigium? Even throughout your University years?” Nile asked curiously as she stifled a yawn. 

Malik shook his head. “No, not until a few years ago. I helped uncover a castle and after finding it, they had me help with more research while also giving me a security job. For a few years, I was just a security grunt while finishing my program.” He had explained to them already, how Prodigium searched for the supernatural, the strange, the things that were thought to only be myths. “There was a strange request once about a...hidden refuge in the South of France. I only had fragments to go off of but I’d been able to find it. I…” But then he paused as he watched Andy glare at Booker and Booker bite his lip as if to stop himself from laughing. Nile averted her eyes from the two of them as if the wall across from her was the most exciting thing in the room.

“That was one of our, well really one of Andy’s, safehouses, though that’s not much of a house. A convenient place if we were ever in the area and needed to lie low for a few days. On our way here, we had stopped by but it was completely emptied out,” Booker explained to him. 

“The one with the Rodin?” Malik asked in disbelief. “That finding was amazing. No one, not one historian, as far as I know, has been able to figure out exactly how so many items spamming over hundreds of years could possibly have just been hidden in there for so long. They didn’t look like they’d been touched or moved around or anything.” 

“We’ll have to track down Nicky’s sword.” Andy sighed but then stared at him. “Wait...you were the one who was tasked to find it? No one else?” 

Malik frowned as he chewed on his lip. “As far as I know, it was only me. Dr. Jekyll said others had tried but there were no prior research notes. I thought it was strange, specifically because I was searching for the Rodin and as far as I know, there’s nothing supernatural about him or his creations.” 

“If he had Nicky and you, two people with the same abilities, then he must have assumed there could be more of us. He was looking for a map to us,” Andy deduced with a frown. She reached out her arm, Booker already meeting her halfway to hand off the bottle of alcohol to her. 

“So I really do know you both,” Malik said in disbelief. He glanced at Nile apologetically but she caught it and waved her hand. 

“I’m new. That’s true. We really only met for the first time a few days ago,” she reminded him. 

“I see,” Malik said. 

Booker got up and left the room silently. 

“So who am I?” Malik asked Andy curiously.

“Yusuf Al-Kaysani,” Andy told him to which he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah okay, you told me that already. Where am I from? I’m guessing not London? How did we meet?” He wanted to ask about his...relationship with Nicky but he bit his tongue. It felt strangely invasive to talk about him but for him to not be there. 

“You were born in the Mahgreb, specifically, Tunisia in the year 1066. You died for the first time in 1069. You were…” Malik cut her off.

“I was born in….wait...that’s, that’s impossible,” Malik stuttered as he did the math in his head of just how old that would make him. 

“I know it’s a lot to take in but it’s the truth. Maybe you knowing more of your truth will help you with your memory loss.” Andy shrugged, taking another swig. “Booker is your younger brother by about 700 years or so.” 

“And you?” Malik asked weakly.

“I’m your much older sister,” she answered flatly.

Booker came back into the room and they watched as he held out a small notebook towards Malik. He took it carefully, the leather covers soft from use and age. He untied the twine that kept it closed and began flicking carefully through the sketches and drawings.

There were a myriad of different works of art inside. It appeared that this artist loved sunsets and sunrises as many were captured in various colors and stages. There was also plenty of still life like apples and coffee cups. Intermixed in the pages were portraits, not all of them finished. He flipped through a few times until he realized a pattern: most of the portraits were of the same person, but different aspects of them. There were hands, eyes, an ear, lips, a jawline with a mole. He could see the person in his mind’s eye that this was different parts of Nichol...Nicky. 

And then he realized something else; the style of this art, was his. It was undeniable. 

“I did these,” he said softly as he looked up to Booker. 

Booker nodded. Malik hadn’t noticed but he had brought in his laptop and it was resting on his lap. He gave him a smile before going back to whatever he was doing on it. Malik assumed it was breaking down the security system that he’d started earlier. 

“We found you sometime in the mid to late 1100s. We had been dreaming of each other for so long that eventually, you stopped moving and we were able to recognize some of your surroundings. It was a smart idea, to stay put,” Andy explained to him.

“You and…” Malik squeezed his eyes closed as he felt the name rising to the forefront of his mind. “Quynh….and and Nicolo!” he said suddenly, a pain in his chest associated with the woman’s name. He couldn’t see much of her in his mind’s eye but he could feel love towards her. 

Andy nodded with a smile on her face. “Yes, Quynh. She and I were together and you and Nicky.”

“But something’s wrong...something bad happened,” Malik said though it was more to himself. 

“Yeah. A lot of bad has happened to us but we’ve also had many good memories. Right now, we’re going to focus on getting Nicky out of there and then we’re going to go somewhere safe. Then, we’re going to help that brain of yours.” 

“Okay,” Malik agreed, though his mind was trying desperately to remember anything else. 

“How are we doing, Book?” Andy asked without turning to look at him. 

“I’ve gotten the blueprints though they’re masked as underground storage space for the museum. I’m almost through their security measures to get into the system. With any luck, I’ll get into the cameras within the next couple hours. I’m also getting a copy of the coding for the entrances. I should be able to make a copy of one of the access cards,” he told her, knowing that she didn’t care or need the specifics. 

“Okay. You keep working on that. Joe, you and Nile get some sleep. We’re going tomorrow, whether you’re ready or not,” she said, though her eyes slid from Joe to Booker and back. 

Booker and Andy stood up to leave the room while Nile stood and pulled the blankets away from the bed across from Joe. 

She glared at him. “If you decide you’re going to escape tonight, don’t take me out to do so. Got it?” 

Malik nodded. “Got it.” 

\------

When Malik woke hours later, his head felt like it weighed 50lbs and as if there was an ice pick stabbing him in both of his temples and behind his eyes. He groaned as he rolled over into the pillow, digging his face into the softness. 

Andy came around after hearing him, placing her hand on his cheek and neck. “You’re burning up. Hopefully you’re getting towards the end of the withdrawal,” she told him, keeping her voice down as she fiddled with something. Malik peeked open an eye and startled at the large needle that was in her hand. 

He managed to sit up and move away from her. 

“It’s a stronger painkiller than what we’ve been giving you. It might help a little bit more.” Her voice was encouraging and really, he knew innately that he could trust her. She wasn’t going to hurt him. She was his protector. His memory felt fuzzy beyond repair but he knew this was true. 

He sat up slowly, swinging his legs over the edge. He took the glass of water gratefully, tossing the pills into his mouth. After finishing the glass, he put it down carefully. He noticed then that Nile was no longer in the room and by the looks of it, may have been gone for a while. “What’s the plan?” 

Andy patted his leg gently. “We’re going to head out soon to get Nicky and we’ll come back here, scoop you up and go somewhere else for a while.” 

Malik frowned. “I’m not staying behind. That’s not an option here.” 

“Joe...even if you’re physically feeling a little better, you’re a liability. If something goes wrong, we’ll all be trapped in this place. I love you and I want to believe that you’re on our side but you’re not you. Not right now. For all I know, as soon as we get in there, you’ll alert everyone,” Andy told him as she stood up to move away from the anger she could see building inside of him.

“No way. You can’t….I need to go. I need to get him out of there.” Malik managed to reach forward quick enough to grab her forearm though the angle caused him to stand and then quickly lose balance with his ankles still bound. Instinctively, he grabbed onto her shoulder with his other hand to keep his balance. “Sorry...I just..” He carefully straightened up, aware of how tense she was, ready to take him down. In the back of his mind, he knew just how lethal she was. “Please. I might be the best option to get in there. I could go first and distract them. If you’re right and they’ve been messing with me this whole time, it could give you an edge to get in there and get Nicky out. Then if there’s time, come for me.” 

He could see in her eyes that she wasn’t sure that she believed him but also that there was some part of her that did. He wondered if this was just something that came from knowing someone for so long. 

“Please, if I’m supposed to trust you then I need you to give me some of yours in return. I want to help him. I want…” He sighed, sitting back down on the bed. “I want to believe that I’ve had a family who’ve cared about me for nearly a thousand years. I need to be part of this.” 

Andy closed her eyes, exhaling deeply through her nose. “Alright,” she decided. “But if you fuck us over, you’re going to regret it. Got that?” 

Malik nodded, lifting his legs back onto the bed so she could unlock the cuffs. 

\------

As he pulled into the parking lot, Malik paused before he got out. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror, making himself slow his breathing. They had gone over a plan that Booker and Andy seemed to be confident in, but Malik couldn’t feel the same. He wondered, if he was who they said he is, would his feelings be different? They had decided that, in the event something did go wrong, that Nile would stay behind. She seemed perfectly content with that decision as she had no stakes in this as it was. She was so, so young to what the rest of them were and it wasn’t fair for her to jump into a fight that wasn’t hers. However, if they weren’t back by tomorrow at noon by the latest, then Nile would send the London police department a file on everything. Hopefully, if nothing else, they could take down the company and in the chaos, escape. 

Malik had only made it five steps inside of the museum when three security guards from Prodigium and not the museum flanked him on either side. They didn’t say anything to him so he continued on his way towards the elevator. 

As they walked off, they turned him so he would be headed towards Dr. Jekyll’s office. Only once he had stepped inside and the door closed behind him, did the security back off. He looked ahead of himself, only able to see the back of the top of Dr. Jekyll’s head; the man sitting in his chair. 

“We were worried about you, Malik. What happened to you?” The man turned slowly in his chair to face him. Malik had the mental image of the main boss at the end of a movie giving the speech.

Trying to keep himself as professional as he would have been, he held his arms behind his back as he came closer to stand before the desk. 

“I’m sorry. I was approached by a woman who said she had information on my father. I was a fool to believe her. We were having tea and then the next thing I knew, I’d been mugged and left in a ditch hours away from London,” Malik explained to him.

“Your father?” Dr. Jekyll asked, his brow furrowing. “He died of cancer, wasn’t it?” 

Malik nodded his head. “Yes, at least that’s what I was told. There was something about her that made me believe something nefarious had happened. I was a fool.” He tried to look as chagrined as possible. 

Dr. Jekyll ran his hand over his beard casually a few times before sighing and standing up. “That is a very good story but you’re going to have to do better. Where were you? And how did Nicholas convince you to leave?” 

Malik, thrown from the bluntness of the question, unconsciously took a step back. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Dr. Jekyll reached down, Malik’s eyes following them as though a gun would appear at any moment, opening a drawer and pulling out a small device. The device being Malik’s phone. He tossed it on top of the table.

“You were good, I’ll give you that. It took an outside hacker to find what you did.” He paused for what felt like dramatic effect. “Though I’ll never know what was spoken between you and Nicholas in those few minutes you put the feed on a loop, I now know that that’s exactly what you did.” 

Malik frowned, knowing that if he were to deny it, it would be useless and likely continue to irritate the man in front of him. He was clearly looking for answers. 

“You’re right but it was nothing Nicholas had done. My weakness was trying to take advantage of his situation. He...he is a beautiful man... and I couldn’t help myself. I knew that if I were to try and make a move on him on camera, I would likely be reassigned.” Malik looked down, hoping to seem ashamed of his actions. “I attempted to kiss him and when he did not return my affection, I stopped and fixed the cameras.” 

They were both quiet for a long minute, both staring at one another. When it began to feel more uncomfortable, Dr. Jekyll began laughing. He started to laugh so hard, he had to clutch his chest.

“Lift up your shirt,” Dr.Jekyll ordered him suddenly. 

Admittedly, Malik figured most of this was not going to go well during his part of their plan, but that was certainly an oversight. 

Inhaling carefully, Malik did as he was asked. The doctor’s eyes skimmed over his torso, seemingly confirming what he already suspected. 

Dr. Jekyll raised a hand, a remote in his hand this time that was pointed towards the monitor on the wall. He clicked something and Malik watched as it turned on. He frowned when he saw that he was looking at himself on the screen. He looked to be lying on a table, various cables attached to his head and chest. He could only see himself from the middle torso up to his head. His hair was much longer than it was now and his beard was gone, instead, he had a mustache. 

“Nicolo please...hayati. It hurts...it hurts...Nico…” The Malik on the screen was mumbling, sometimes coherently, sometimes in other languages though it seemed like a type of mantra. 

“How are his levels?” a woman’s voice asked off-screen. 

“His levels are evening out from the last dose. His heart rate has come down to normal. Areas of his brain are slowing down just like you predicted,” a man’s voice answered, also off-screen. 

“Very good. I believe we are close to a final mixture. How did his test go earlier today?” the woman asked. A feminine hand passed over the screen, her fingers adjusting a wire that was taped to Malik’s collarbone. 

“Best yet. He no longer knows his name. He was asking for Salima earlier. I was able to revert him to the mentality of a young child looking for his mother,” the man told her.

“Oh? Salima was here? Shame. I would have liked to say Hello. Do you think he is faking it?” she asked.

“No. He is plugging in the false memories just as we hoped. It’s a natural response to his stress as he answers my questions. It’s a shame, all of this work, we would win a Nobel Prize,” the man told him. 

“I’ll win one, someday,” the woman said.

“If anyone is to do it, it will be you, Kozak.” 

“Enough!” Malik said, his voice louder than he had planned as he turned away from the screen. “What did you do to me?” 

Dr. Jekyll paused the screen as he placed the remote down on the desk.

“You’re a dangerous, extraordinary individual. We find monsters but you were the closest to human we’d ever found. We had hope that we could bring you onto our side. You were stubborn though. We kept you in a coma for a long time before Dr. Kozak was able to get the technology she needed to properly experiment on you. I believe that, putting you under for so long, helped in the long run with your cognitive changes. It was amazing to watch. One day you were speaking any language but English, threatening our lives and then the next, you were dazed and confused. You went from not giving us any details about your past to giving us plenty.” Malik could tell Dr. Jekyll was gloating and it angered him beyond reason but he forced himself to stay still. Andy said she would give him a signal when it was time to go.

“You’re insane.” Malik felt sorry for himself but knew now was not the time.

“We thought you were the only one like you but there was one name that kept coming through: Nicolo, Nicky, Nicholas, Nico, Nick. Who was this mystery man you kept calling for? You wouldn’t tell us but it was clear in your voice he was someone very important to you and someone possibly just as old as you. It was just luck that we found him eventually too.” Malik remembered what the man had told him before about capturing Nicky. 

“You’re also very, very old. Older than 33. We have a researcher who can track you back to the late 1700s. Amazing, isn’t it? You and your kind are awfully careful in hiding your tracks. Smart really.” Dr. Jekyll then sighed dramatically. “But all things must come to an end, hm? We should never have tested our work by letting you interact with him. He got through to you, somehow. Perhaps a connection as long as yours isn’t something you can erase permanently.”

Malik’s eyes moved over the Doctor, noticing imperceptible things that he may not notice right away. The man was sweating, though that could be due to the adrenaline of the conversation. He was looking flushed, his face red. Again, maybe something to do with the anger of failing. His right hand also had a tremor in it. Quickly, he looked over the desk and discovered the large needle that Dr. Jekyll relied on every few hours. He hoped luck was on his side if his guess as to what was going on with him was accurate; Mr. Hyde wanted out. 

“So what now?” Malik asked him. 

“Now? Oh...well, I made a call to Dr. Kozak and though she does not want to repeat the experiment with Nicholas, she’s given us her blessing to try anyway. Eh...maybe not a blessing but a trade.” Dr. Jekyll smiled, the type of smile that made Malik want to run out of the room. 

“What trade?” Malik asked slowly.

“Her notes and research on what she did with you, in exchange for you.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy another taste of Alby's art <3

It had been too easy for Booker and Andy to secure themselves fake identities as individuals who worked for the third party company that dispatches security to various companies around the greater London area. A contact of Booker’s had been able to hack into the system of both Prodigium and the security company, making it so the company sent the two of them to Prodigium for additional security today. 

They had easily infiltrated the place an hour before Joe was set to arrive. Once they were given their assignments: Booker to monitor the main floor and Andy to monitor the second, they blended in as long as possible. Since Andy would be on the second floor, she would be closer to getting to Nicky.

While looking through the blueprints, Booker had told them that he had found a room full of cabinets that seemed like a place to store information or past research. When he tapped into the files and found one labeled ‘NADER_1066’ they knew it had something to do with Joe. Joe had chimed in that maybe they had something for Nicky as well, with the last name ‘Ricci.’ Turns out, they did, the label being ‘RICCI_1840.’ Whoever would be on the second floor would be in charge of finding out what they had on them in the physical sense. Booker assured them that once they were done, he’d be able to install a virus into their system to erase everything they had on them. 

Andy nodded towards a guard who was passing her, making her way to the room at the end that held the files. Living as long as she had, it wasn’t hard for her to show an air of confidence around anyone around her. No one would question why she was there or where she was going. For all they know, she had been sent to retrieve something. 

As she entered the room, she frowned and rolled her eyes in irritation. The room was huge and there were thousands upon thousands of files all over the place. Booker had been able to tell her what room it would be in but not exactly where. 

“Fuck.” Andy groaned as she walked up to the first cabinet and opened it. Luck seemed to be on her side, however, when she realized how the labels were alphabetized. 

“Bad news?” Booker’s voice asked quietly in her ear. Andy would never, ever admit it to her boys, or Nile, but it startled her, having forgotten the ear piece was there at all.

“Big room,” she answered him.

She walked down rows and rows, noticing how sometimes there were cabinets and sometimes there were boxes; boxes like those you would see in a crime television show that would be opened to show evidence from the case they were discussing. 

She opened up a nearby cabinet only to discover she was in the K’s. Andy walked a bit further, blown away by the sheer size of the room. She was half tempted to simply torch the room and hope for the best. A more curious part of her burned to know what they had on them and so she persisted. 

Finally finding the aisle with the ‘N’s,’ she was pleasantly surprised that Joe’s label was written on a box. It was fairly large though it was on a low shelf and easier to hoist down onto the floor. It wasn’t very heavy but she was certain something hard, maybe something metallic, clinked on the floor. 

Opening the box, Andy stared in awe. The largest item in the box was indeed metal and something she never thought she’d see again. 

Joe’s scimitar. It looked like it was in desperate need of a good polishing but otherwise, it looked in suitable condition. Andy reached down and hooked it onto her belt. When she left this room, it would be the start of their chaos so she wasn’t concerned about anyone seeing the sword attached to her.

She squatted down, fingering through the various items in the box. There was a bunch of clothing, a small date book (with nothing of any interest written inside), sunglasses, a broken watch and a velvet pouch. Grabbing the pouch, Andy opened it, dumping the contents into her palm. 

Smiling and curling her fingers around the items, she placed the two rings and the necklace into a secure pocket near above her breast. These were items Joe would definitely want back at all costs.

She left the box where it was and continued on with her search for Nicky’s box. 

“One file to go.” She said quietly as she walked further into the aisle that started with ‘R’s.’ 

“C-4 is in place.” Booker informed her.

That was good. Now they would just need to get the boys and get out of there. Andy hoped they could simply find a way to exit back up the elevator but she doubted luck would be too much on their side. It would be hard to get Nicky out of there alone. 

Finding Nicky’s box, it was much smaller than Joe’s. There was clothing inside of the box and a book of Shakespeare’s stories in a French translation. She debated grabbing the book but knew that it wasn’t anything they couldn’t find again. She picked up the box and carried it back towards Joe’s.

Once she was there, she placed Nicky’s box inside of Joe’s, lit a match and watched as the contents caught fire. She waved her arms around, trying to break up the smoke, hoping to avoid activating a smoke detector. Fortunately, the ceilings were relatively high in this room and she had no issues. 

“Done.” Andy told Booker as she headed for the exit.

As she closed the door to the records room, she was relieved to see that no one else was there. 

Andy began making her way back towards the elevator when she heard quiet laughter. Down a corridor were two guards who were standing outside of a door. They clearly wanted to be inside but there was only a small window to see into.

“Where’s the party?” Andy asked casually. 

The two stopped laughing immediately when they saw her coming but relaxed at the calm look on her face. Andy could also see that both of them were interested in her by the way they looked at her. 

“The strange one, with those eyes. He’s in there. He’s giving them Hell.” One of the men informed her. 

“They deserve it, if you asked me.” The other man said. 

“What they’re doing is scientific. He should be proud to be part of history.” The first man, the one Andy definitely didn’t like, added.

She could feel herself growing cold as she turned to walk up to the door to peer inside. 

“He’s not human, I get that. But he’s nice. He’s only ever been kind when he could probably kill us in a second.” The second guard surmised. 

It was hard to see due to the angle of the door to one of the beds in the room, but she could see his hair. And she knew that hair. She knew how soft his hair was. She knew how greasy it easily got if he didn’t shower every other day. She had seen it at various lengths through their long life. Right now, it looked like the style he grew it out to be in the 60s and into the 70s before Joe sneakily trimmed it while Nicky had been passed out on too much rum. 

She turned to face the two guys who were watching her curiously.

“Have you been here before? You look new? You really shouldn’t be seeing any of this.” The first one told her, his hand already moving towards the radio on his shoulder.

Before he could so much as brush his fingers on the plastic of the radio, Andy reached out, grabbing his wrist and breaking it. Before the man could cry out in pain or surprise or both, she slammed him into the wall, grabbed his face and twisted his neck. While his lifeless body slid to the floor, Andy grabbed the other one, pushing him against the wall as well.

“P-please...please!” The man began to beg. 

Andy rolled her eyes. “When you wake up, you don’t know what hit you. You get a normal job doing security at a strip club. Got it?” 

Andy slammed the gun on her hip that she hadn’t realized she’d grabbed, bringing it down to slam against the man’s temple. He fell in a heap next to the other man. 

Taking a calming breath, Andy pushed open the door to the room that was a lab. The blueprints showed the size of the room but it had been Joe to tell them what it was. There were two people in lab coats that were hovering over Nicky. Though he wasn’t making a sound, she watched as his left leg continuously twitched. She could also see part of his left hand that was balled tightly into a fist.

“Can we help you with something?” One of the Doctor’s asked as they turned to face Andy.

“Dr. Jekyll wants that to be all today. I am to take him back to his room.” Andy told them. Although her eyes were on the Doctor’s face, she watched as Nicky’s body stilled. 

“That is not what our agenda said. He is to stay here until we make progress. If he has the opportunity to get comfortable, it could affect the experiment.” The Doctor, a young man in probably his early 30s informed her.

“I can bring him down here to confirm with you though I’ll also happily stay to watch him reprimand you for taking time out of his day. What would you prefer?” Andy asked. 

She watched as the Doctor’s shared a look with one another. It didn’t seem like making Dr. Jekyll angry was a good idea. 

“We need to give him his final dose and then he’s all yours.” The first Doctor told her as he turned his back to her. 

Andy walked into the room, casually walking around and tracking where the cameras were. Finding a blind spot, she grabbed her gun once more and shot twice, taking them out. The Doctors, startled as they should be, turned to stare at her in fear. 

“Do you like what you do? Torturing an innocent person?” Andy asked them. 

“He’s...he’s not a person. He’s a monster. We have the right to learn more about him.” Andy watched as the other began to back away. She pointed her gun towards him in a warning. 

“He’s more human than either of you will ever be.” And with that, she shot off two rounds, not paying attention to the two falling to the ground as she walked over towards Nicky. 

Immediately, she began yanking out the several needles stuck in his arms, torso and the one in his temple. 

She knew Nicky and he would stay quiet during torture but she could now see that they’d placed a clamp of some kind tightly over his mouth to both keep his head steady and to keep him quiet. Only once she removed the needles and wires did she let her eyes drift properly to Nicky’s own. His large blue-green eyes stared at her, both pooling quickly with liquid. 

“I know. I know.” Andy said softly to him as she leaned down, pressing her lips against his forehead. “I’ve got you.” 

Andy leaned back up, quickly making work of the bindings on his mouth, chest, waist, wrists, thighs and ankles. Once she was done, she helped him into a sitting position.

“Andy?” Nicky said softly, his voice rough with misuse. 

“We don’t have much time...they’re likely already on their way down. You with me?” Andy asked as she moved so Nicky could stand. He didn’t have shoes or a shirt on but he at least still had pants. Booker had said he would try to take down the security system but she hadn’t received confirmation yet whether he had or not. This was not meant to be part of the plan. At least they could improvise when they had to.

Nicky nodded. “Si.” 

They had nearly made it to the door when they heard,and felt, a loud ‘boom.’ It sounded almost as though someone had dropped a boulder onto the floor above them. They looked at each other, trying to confirm with the other whether they knew what that was. 

“Get to Nicky. Quick.” Booker’s voice rushed out of him into her ear, sounding slightly winded like he might be running,

“I’ve got him. Was that you?” Andy asked, wondering if Booker had accidentally set off the charges early.

“Wish it was. We got a situation. Hurry up.” Before Andy could ask him to elaborate, there was a loud static sound in her ear, causing her to take out the ear piece.

“Come on.” Andy ordered as she opened the door to the hallway.

\-----

Malik had taken a step back. “That’s not going to happen.”

“I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter.” Dr. Jekyll said, his hand subconsciously pulling at his tie while also unbuttoning the first button. 

“You took decades away from me, it’s not going to happen again.” Malik all but growled at him. 

Malik reached into his pocket but Dr. Jekyll was faster, pulling out a gun and shooting him in the head. Malik crumpled into himself on the ground, a blood trickling out of the hole in his forehead. 

Dr. Jekyll placed the gun on his desk and walked around, looking at him curiously to see if he was going to revive. As far as he knew, Malik hadn’t died since they had successfully brainwashed him. If he had received injuries before, he wasn’t sure. 

He turned as he walked back to his desk and pressed a security button underneath. He would need to secure Malik in Nicky’s old room. His punishment would be to trade places with Nicky until they were able to replicate the experiment. And then once Malik knew Nicky no longer remembered himself, then they would do it to Malik again. After that, he’d be sure to keep them apart. 

As Dr. Jekyll sat heavily down in his chair, he failed to notice the inaudible drawl of breath Malik took, the bullet slowly exiting his forehead. Malik pinched his eyes together against the pain but remained immobile, not wanting to give himself away. He was confused and disoriented but his instinct told him what to do.

He could hear the door to the office opening and two pairs of feet coming inside. He could also tell that Dr. Jekyll was likely rolling up his sleeve, in need of his own special dose. Although he wasn’t entirely sure he could stand without wanting to puke, he knew he was now or never. 

Malik rolled over, quickly got his feet underneath him and sprung up. In his movements, he managed to swipe the needle Dr. Jekyll needed. He had administered it to him himself plenty of times and he knew how to dismantle it to get to the glass vial. Tossing the mechanism to one side, holding the vial in his hand.

“Stay back.” He warned the two security guards who had been moving towards him. He saw Dr. Jekyll move towards his gun on the table but Malik was closer, managing to knock the gun to the floor. 

“You’re making a big mistake. Give that to me, now.” Dr. Jekyll warned as he continued to get redder in the face.

“Is it a mistake? I think it’s past due for Hyde to come out.” Malik said instead, pressing his free hand against his pounding head. 

“We can work something out. Maybe I was being too hard on you.” Dr. Jekyll tried, causing Malik to chuckle. He watched as the Doctor looked towards the security, clearing expecting them to do something. 

He watched as they reached for their weapons. He raised his hand with the vial. “My name is Yusuf Al-Kaysani!” He shouted as he tossed the vial to the ground, watching as it shattered.

The two security guards instinctively took a few steps back towards the exit as the three of them watched Dr. Jekyll physically begin to grow before their eyes. 

“Get my...get me a new dose!” Dr. Jekyll managed to get out between heaving breaths. The two guards, not needing to be told twice, ran for the door. One of them pressed in a code just before exiting. 

Joe only managed to take a couple steps before he groaned and fell to his knees, hands gripping tightly to his hair. His head felt as if it were going to explode. He pressed one of his palms into his eye, willing for the pain to abate for a little longer. His other hand moved to the ground in order to keep him from toppling over. In his vision, he could see the bullet that had previously been inside of his skull.

He only had enough time to raise his head before a large fist, larger than his head, came swinging towards him, knocking him in the chest, the force lifting him off of the ground and slamming him into the wall behind him. Joe could barely get out a groan before a large hand grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to his feet.

Opening up his eyes, his vision blurred though he was able to make out the huge face inches away from his own.

“Malik...it has been some time.” Mr. Hyde greeted him as he pulled him away and then back into the wall. 

Instinctively, Joe grabbed onto the large forearm with both of his hands to keep himself up. “I’m not Malik….that’s not my name.” 

Mr. Hyde searched his face, though Joe wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for. “No...I suppose you’re not anymore, are you. Well done, escaping your cage.” He let Joe go who fell to the ground. 

Mr.Hyde walked over towards the door that now had a sheet of steel covering it. The code had caused the room to fortify, in the event that Mr.Hyde would get out. His fingers moved over the steel, testing it for any weak spots.

Joe staggered to his feet, fighting the nausea that wanted to drag him back down. He managed to make it to one of the chairs and held onto it to keep him upright.

“It’s time for you to escape...let me help you.” Joe told him. His mind assaulted him with memories of Mr.Hyde though they weren’t his memories of him, but Malik’s. Where Joe saw a prisoner, albeit a likely dangerous one, Malik saw a monster in need of being kept down. It was confusing, the conflicting thoughts crossing his mind. 

“And why would you help me?” Mr. Hyde asked without turning to face Joe. 

Joe was glad, honestly. This other version of Dr. Jekyll was easily twice his own height. His arms were as thick as Joe’s waist. He knew how bad his temper was and didn’t want to piss him off if he could prevent it. 

“You’ve been locked up longer than I’ve been. I’d say it’s time for you to get your revenge. I just want to go home.” Joe told him honestly. 

Mr.Hyde growled under his breath as he paced in front of the door a few times. He banged on it but to no avail. He walked over towards the other side of the room to try another area where the steel was covering an exit, giving Joe permission to go towards the door. 

Joe carefully made his way towards the keypad, sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening that the codes hadn’t changed and punched in the deactivation code. A green light shown and Joe smiled as he stepped back. The steel sealing them in the room slowly began to raise up. 

Mr. Hyde walked over towards the main door, watching impatiently as the door revealed itself once more. “Good luck in your freedom.” And with that, Mr. Hyde swung his arm, throwing Joe across the room. He hit the opposite wall head first and then saw nothing at all.

\-----

Booker’s job had been the easiest; all he needed to do was put the C-4 on the ceiling in a storage room where a nearby ladder would enable them to climb right into the Dinosaur exhibit. There was a stash of clothing for them to quickly change into that, with any luck, would make it look like they were guests escaping a gas leak or a terrorist attack.

He was walking on the catwalk above the large metal contraption that he’d found out was supposed to hold something strong. He had tried to get someone to tell him what exactly it was, the strong creature but everyone was too tight lipped with a newbie. 

He kept a smile to himself as he heard Andy confirming that she had Nicky with her. He couldn’t wait to see his brother again. It was hard to believe that their whole family was going to be back together. Well, almost all of them. The family that he had known for 200 years. If they could get both Nicky and Joe back at the same time, then he felt determination growing inside of him to find Quynh. It had to be a possibility for them.

Seeing a couple people running and shouting, Booker went towards the edge of the catwalk and looked down. He then looked around at the confused faces of all the other guards. They had instantly stopped what they were doing and drew their guns.

A woman came quickly over towards Booker, her gun already drawn. “It’s Mr. Hyde. He’s gotten out.” As if Booker was supposed to know exactly what she meant.

“What is he?” Booker asked, also pulling his gun around to his front, his finger resting on the trigger.

“A failed experiment, mostly. No one really knows. Bullets aren’t going to kill him, we can only hope we’ll slow him down until we can give him an injection.” She said, her voice trying to seem calm but he could hear the quiver of fear in it. 

“Right.” 

They watched the door to Dr.Jekyll’s office carefully, the pounding on the other side causing multiple guards to jump in fear. 

It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Although Booker wasn’t worried about possibly dying, it didn’t mean he was immune to feeling uneasy. It didn’t help that he could feel it coming off of everyone.

Suddenly, and without warning, the door flew off of its hinges, crashing into the middle of the room. People began shouting, guns were being fired and the room fell into chaos.

The large...Mr. Hyde as they called him, grabbed the nearest item available, this being what looked like a large freezer, lifted it over his head and tossed it. It slammed into one of the columns of the large metal cage, denting it severely before crashing into the ground. 

Instead of shooting at Mr.Hyde like everyone else, Booker broke from his spot, running down the stairs and carefully moving around the room until he was able to get to the door to the office. He looked back, watching as Mr. Hyde ran towards a group of guards who had thought shooting him from the same spot would somehow take him down.

“Joe?!” Booker called into the room as he ran inside. He quickly checked the sides around the room, making sure there wasn’t anyone hiding to attack him and then made it around the large desk to find Joe lying on his side.

Booker swung his gun to his back as he dropped to his knees, one hand automatically going to his neck. He breathed out in relief as he felt his pulse. Joe groaned at the touch, his body instinctively curling in on itself. 

“Mon Frere, we need to get out of here. It’s almost over. Andy’s got Nicky. Come on.” Booker said to him as he grabbed him under his arms and hoisted him up. 

“My head is killing me.” Joe managed to get out, even the process of talking causing his head to hurt excruciatingly. 

“Just a little further and then you can rest, I promise.” Booker encouraged him as he wrapped an arm around Joe’s waist, pulling one of Joe’s arms over his shoulders. 

Booker and Joe slowly made their way through the room. Joe was too busy facing the ground and trying not to puke for what felt like the hundredth time today when Booker stopped abruptly. He instinctively brought his other arm around Booker to hold onto him to keep himself from sliding down. 

“Joe.” A voice Joe would recognize a thousand times over said softly. 

Joe raised his head, his eyes noticing Andy but connecting, as they always did, with Nicky’s. Nicky, the love of his life for 900 years. Nicky, the one who he hadn’t heard his name said on those lips for decades. Nicky, who he was cruelly taken from. Nicky, whom he'd forgotten. 

“Nicolo.” He replied with an unexpected sob, his arms dropping from Booker, his steps shaky as he moved towards Nicky. 

Nicky moved at the same time, meeting him only after a few steps. Joe wrapped his arms around his chest, his chin resting heavily on top of Nicky’s shoulder. He sighed as he felt Nicky’s arms wrapping around him. One of his arms held him securely around his back, the other holding the back of his neck. 

Nicky’s body was solid and strong, his grip tight. Joe felt safe. He knew at this moment if he were to let go, his family would be there to take care of him. He also knew that he wouldn’t do that, not yet. They needed to leave. 

“We need to go.” Andy ordered, leaving no room for any arguments. Joe did want to leave, he just wished they could skip past the part of having to actively do so. “What is that thing?” 

“Dr. Jekyll, his counterpart.” Nicky answered her before Joe could even form a response in his head. 

“He failed experimenting on himself and created that.” Joe added.

“Nicky you hold onto Joe. I go first. Book, you’ve got the back.” Andy told them as she left the room. 

The three men followed her, dodging and ducking out of the way of the continued chaos around them. 

Booker took a shot to the knee and Andy was hit in her hip but otherwise, they were able to make it towards the emergency staircase next to the elevator. 

Before they exited the stairs, Booker pressed a button on a remote in his hand and within seconds, a loud boom, much like before though had clearly been Mr. Hyde, resounded through the building. Screaming and shouting could be heard on the other side of the door. 

“Wait...here.” Joe said as she began to get out of Nicky’s hold, shakily moving his arms and torso to get his jacket off of himself. Nicky, catching on to what he was doing, helped him. He then shoved his arms into the sleeves, quickly zipping it up. He didn’t have shoes on but at least no one would notice a shirtless man escaping the building. 

\-----

In all the screaming and running and panic, the four of them had quickly blended in with the crowd, exiting the museum with the many and made their way towards the car that was parked a few blocks away. 

As soon as they got into the car: Andy and Booker in the front, Joe and Nicky in the back, Joe passed out, his head resting heavily on Nicky’s shoulder.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this. I struggled really badly towards the end and was afraid for a moment I wasn't going to finish this after all. 2020 has been a huge depressive cloud of suck and it made it difficult to find the muse to keep going. This is not a fic I'm particularly super proud of, only because I feel that it could have been more and it should have been more but I was unable to give it what it deserved. I hope though, that it is enough, for you dear reader. 
> 
> Thank you again to Erin, Alby, the TOG server and others who helped push me forward into finishing this. Please let me know what you thought.

Joe had managed to wake up just enough to walk into the safehouse before nearly collapsing onto the nearest bed. Nicky managed to give him something for his head but he was already asleep before he could thank him. 

When he woke up next, his head felt incredibly heavy again. As his eyes fluttered open, he felt a smile grow on his face. Nicky was sitting in a chair next to the bed, his eyes watching over Joe. 

“Hey.” Joe greeted him, reaching up and rubbing at his temples one more.

“How bad is it?’ Nicky asked softly. 

“Mmmm...8.5 out of 10...maybe a 9.” Joe answered him, somehow knowing that that was how he would often gauge his pain. 

“Take these.” Before Joe could look to see what he was referring to he felt Nicky’s fingers brush against his lips, the pills being pressed between them. He took them obediently before forcing himself to sit up heavily against the headboard. 

“I believe it is a mixture of the medication they gave you, with your memories trying to come back and being recently shot in the head. It’s a bad cocktail of pain.” Nicky explained to him.

Joe nodded. “Some things were coming back to me...slowly, but after he shot me in the head...I don’t know. It’s like.” Joe waved his arms in the air as if the words would just float down and come out of him. “I can remember everything and nothing. There is so much I was forced to forget, it all wants to come back to me and I can’t control it.” 

“It is not the first time one of us have had trouble with memory. Do you remember when my head was caved in by that collapsed building? It took me a week to regain everything.” Nicky had a frown on his face, obviously a memory he didn’t like.

“Yes...I...I think.” Joe closed his eyes as he searched for the memory in his head. As if typing in a search bar on a computer, he could see the memory coming back to him. He didn’t remember everything about that time, maybe because of what was done to him or time or both, but he knew what his fear had felt like. “You thought we were in Jerusalem. You could not stand in the same room as me.” 

Nicky reached over as if he were going to touch Joe but then aborted the move, resting his hand on the bed instead. “I wish I did not treat you so cruelly.” 

Joe shook his head. “I did not mind your anger, I minded that you refused to bathe.” He managed to chuckle before wincing. 

Nicky smiled that crooked, rare smile he only had for his family, but mostly, just for Joe. 

His eyes began to water. “How long have we been parted, Ya Amar?” 

Joe brought down one of his arms, his hand landing purposefully on top of Nicky’s. They both watched as they tangled their fingers together. 

“We lost you in 1980. I’ve looked for you ever since. Booker and Andy did too but everyone needs a break every now and then. We know that from experience.” Nicky answered him. 

“I think...I think I was at the site of a dig. Something happened. I got hurt and people saw.” Joe told him, his face scrunching up as he tried to see the memory. “Dr. Jekyll was there. I know it.” 

“Hey…” Nicky said, his voice closer now. Joe opened his eyes, once more unable to look away from that piercing gaze of his. “It’s okay. I do not need to know everything now. I am too relieved to be here with you now. And to be out of that prison. And to be with our family. We have a new little sister Joe. Have you met her?” 

Joe nodded. “Yes...a little. I’m afraid I was going a little mad when we first met.”

“She is kind and so full of life. I cannot wait to know her more.” Nicky smiled, the kind of smile that warmed his heart. 

“Me too. Where are we? This isn’t the same safehouse as before.” Joe asked, not meaning to change the subject but suddenly realizing he was in a bedroom with only one bed in it. 

“We’re in Germany. A little outside of The Netherlands.” Nicky answered. “You should get some more sleep, but try to eat some of this first.” Nicky, however reluctant, let go of Joe’s hand so he could grab a plate that was resting on the table next to the bed. On it was a few pieces of bread, some oil and a few grapes. 

Joe slowly ate everything on the plate, grateful that Nicky didn’t give him anything else. His stomach was upset and there wasn’t much more he could take. 

Nicky helped him get back into a horizontal position. Nicky fluffed his pillow and then pulled the blanket back up to his chest. 

“Will you be here when I wake up?” Joe asked, the painkillers already pulling him down. 

“Always, Tesoro.” Joe was asleep before Nicky managed to kiss his cheek.

\----

After sleeping almost another full day, Joe was beginning to feel better. His head was still bothering him but the pain wasn’t so blinding that he wanted to puke anymore. 

He was able to meet Nile properly this time, apologizing to her for his earlier rudeness. 

Booker had hugged him so tightly, he would have been certain he’d broken something. Joe didn’t care though, as he hugged him back just as tightly. 

Andy, as always, tried to play it cool, but even she was no match for his hug as he lifted her off the ground to spin her. He realized spinning was not a good idea though and spent most of that day sitting down. 

“I’ve got something for you.” Andy told him as she disappeared from the room. 

When he thought maybe he was meant to follow her, she came back and his eyes immediately fell onto the item in her hands. 

“Where was it?” Joe asked, almost dumbstruck as he reached out tentatively to hold his old scimitar.

“In the records room at Prodigium. They had kept it.” Why they hadn’t left it on a wall to be displayed she didn’t know but in the end, didn’t care. 

“Any news on them?” Joe asked on the fifth day.

Booker had nodded. “They were able to get a hold of Mr. Hyde enough to inject him. He’s not Dr. Jekyll once again. There is currently an investigation going on with the London police. The museum admitted they had never used the underground for storage, as it had been labeled unsafe. Prodigium has a lot of explaining to do.” 

“What about their knowledge of us?” Nicky asked from the kitchen. He was showing Nile how to make lasagna from scratch. She had initially been excited about it but quickly found out that Nicky was a very particular teacher. Nile had tried to grab a box of noodles off of the shelf which sent Nicky into a tirade about how today’s people were lazy.

“I burned through their electronic records and managed to remove anything to do with the both of you. There’s really only one loose end we’re going to need to eventually tie up.” Booker informed them as he leaned back in his chair and took a drink from his flask.

“What’s that?” Andy asked, her voice serious.

“A Doctor. The one who messed with Joe. Her name’s Dr. Meta Kozak. She has been working for Merrick Pharmaceuticals for many years now. It looks like it may have been a natural professional move from Prodigium. I…”

“They wanted me...She wanted me.” Joe interrupted. “That’s what Henry...Dr. Jekyll said just before he shot me. 

“We’ll lay low for a while but we’ll circle back. You’re sure there’s no tracing us here?” Andy asked Booker. 

Booker nodded. “There’s no trace. She’s likely going to go underground for a while too, in case any heat comes her way from the discovery of Prodigium.” 

Joe leaned back on the couch, a frown on his face as he absently stared across the room.

“What is it?” Andy asked as she came to sit beside him.

“Salima Nader. Was she real?” Joe asked. He and Andy both turned to look at Booker who fumbled for his laptop .

“Yes.” Came Nicky’s voice as he walked into the dining room, a spatula with red sauce on it in his hand. “She worked there too. Because of her ethnicity, she was likely volunteered to work with them while they messed with your memory. They had her in the room with you, so you could see her face clearly, to have a real mental image to hold onto. It helped sell the lie in your head.” Nicky leaned down to kiss the top of Joe’s head. 

“Is she still alive?” Joe asked, more curious than anything else. 

Nicky shook his head. He had taken the liberty of searching for the woman a couple days before while Joe slept. “She died in a car accident. The report claimed there was a faulty break line but I do not believe that is what happened.”

“I see.” Joe wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He felt betrayed but he had to remember that this was his dead mother who wasn’t actually his mother at all. 

\----

The perks of this particular safehouse was that they had a large pool and patio. The cushions for the patio furniture was old and dated but relatively comfortable. Nile and Booker got into the pool immediately, swimming laps and racing one another. Though Booker was physically stronger than Nile, Nile was much much faster. Her own strength plus her smaller body made her no match for him.

Andy sat curled in a chair, watching them lazily as she sipped at a drink. 

Nicky sprawled in the lounger with Joe lying between his legs, his arm resting across Nicky’s chest with his chin propped up so he could face Nicky. Nicky moved one of his hands lazily through his curls aimlessly, smiling down at him. 

“Did we ever do a tour of the architecture of Rome?” Joe asked him. 

Nicky thought for a moment. “An official tour? With a guide?” Joe nodded his head. “No. We could give better tours than most of them.” 

“I would have been a teenager in this memory.” Joe frowned. Nicky reached over with his free hand, smoothing the creases between his brow. 

“We can add that one to the fake pile.” Nicky told him with an encouraging smile. 

“You’re right.” Joe conceded. “Julius Caesar at the Globe?” 

Nicky smiled and nodded. “We saw the third production. Shakespeare wanted me to be in it.”

Joe chuckled. “No one can resist you.” 

“Ah, but it was you and him who had the more wild night.” Nicky grinned as he winked at him,

Joe narrowed his eyes at him. “No...it was all three of us.” 

“Correct.” Nicky moved his hand to the side of Joe’s face, his thumb rubbing gently against his cheek. Joe tilted his head, as if he could merge his face with Nicky’s hand.

For the past several days, they had begun a series of questions that felt almost like a game to help Joe with his memories. He would bring up whatever memory was coming to mind, and they, mostly Nicky, would tell him if it was real or not. Sometimes they would add a lie in it to see if Joe knew the truth. So far, any lie they sent his way he knew wasn’t true. 

Joe sighed contentedly as he turned his head so he could kiss Nicky’s palm. When Nicky dropped his hand, Joe turned his head so he could lay it down on his arm and stare at the pool. Booker and Nile had taken a break swimming and were sitting on the steps instead. Nile had made them all pina coladas and so they were currently drinking theirs. 

“This is perfect.” Joe said even as he began to drift off. This time, however, he was sleeping because he was comfortable and he felt safe. 

\----

Once they were done at the pool and had dinner, Nicky and Joe made it towards their bedroom. Another great part about this safehouse being that there were several bedrooms. They both stripped off their clothing, Joe going into bed while Nicky walked into the bathroom. 

Joe had already done his nighttime routine while Nicky had done the dishes. Joe had offered to help but Nicky had shooed him away. 

Joe stretched out over the bed, feeling the most comfortable he had been in days. For once, his head wasn’t killing him. He hoped he would stay like this. 

When Nicky came back into the room, Joe smiled. “Stop.” Nicky stopped moving immediately, his eyes traveling over Joe, trying to figure out what was wrong.

“What is it?” Nicky asked.

Joe’s smile could only grow on his face. “Nothing. I just wanted to admire you.” 

Nicky rolled his eyes even though he smiled. He walked towards the bedside table, opening the drawer and pulling out something. Joe reached over, making grabby hands at him before he managed to wrap his arms around Nicky’s waist, causing him to fall awkwardly into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. 

Joe curled around his, pressing his lips against Nicky’s bare thigh. “I have missed you terribly.” Joe mumbled against his skin. He felt Nicky shiver, knowing it wasn’t from the cool air of the room. 

“I missed you too. More than you could ever know.” Nicky replied to him. He reached down, tugging playfully on Joe’s curls to get him to let go. Once he did, he glanced down to Nicky’s other hand, seeing a bag held loosely in it.

“What’s that?” He asked curiously.

“Your sword was not the only thing Andy managed to save.” Nicky opened the bag, grabbing something and then grabbing Joe’s left hand. Joe watched as Nicky slipped a ring, a very familiar ring, on his finger. Joe felt tears spring to his eyes immediately. He watched, dumbfounded, as Nicky then took Joe’s right hand and slipped his other ring on his ring finger. 

He reached over, instinctively twisting the ring around his right finger. “I knew something was missing.” He managed to get out. He reached up and wiped the tears away. 

When he blinked open his eyes, he saw Nicky holding his necklace, the one material item he had that was the same age as him. “I can’t believe it.” Joe managed to get out. He lifted up so Nicky could put it on him.

Before Nicky could pull away, Joe grabbed him around his neck and pulled him down. Nicky huffed out a breath with a small laugh. Knowing Joe wasn’t going to let him go, Nicky managed to maneuver himself around so he was comfortably lying down partially on top of Joe. Nicky’s nose pressed against his cheek as he moved to grabbed the blanket and cover them. They moved their legs until Nicky’s legs rested on either side of one of Joe’s. 

“It was destiny again, that brought us together.” Nicky told him as he kissed him on his cheek near the corner of his lips. 

“Destiny can keep us together, but not in a world where I do not recognize the love of my life.” Joe said as he turned his head, his lips just missing Nicky’s, knowing the other man was teasing him. 

“I knew I would see you again someday. I dreamt of the day you would get me out of there and you did.” Nicky whispered as his hand traveled over Joe’s neck and shoulder and chest and stomach. Joe hissed in a breath as his hand moved further south. 

“And you found me. You broke their spell over me.” Joe added as his hand that wasn’t around Nicky’s back began its own descent, moving down his shoulder, his side and resting on his hip. 

Joe went to kiss him again but once more, Nicky moved slightly from it. “You tease me, Habibi. Please, kiss me.” 

Nicky paused in his playful avoidance, his nose brushing gently against Joe’s. “Anything for you.” Nicky leaned down, pressing his lips to Joe’s, a hunger and a need growing within them. 

After a few minutes of lazily kissing, they broke apart, if only to breathe. “I love you. Forever, I will love you and cherish you with everything that I can give you.” 

“Cherish me now.” Nicky whispered against his lips. 

Joe obliged.


End file.
